Roadside encroachments spell chaos in Ludhiana city

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 26

Encroachments by roadside vendors and shopkeepers have again become the cause of traffic jams in the city.

Top cop’s concern

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, after assuming charge recently, had expressed concern over the traffic issues and said he would definitely devise some strategy to solve this problem.

Last year, the police, under the supervision of then Commissioner of Police Rakesh Agrawal, had made more than 100 roads of the city totally encroachment-free. All encroachments by rehriwalas and shopkeepers were removed from the roads.

The police had also registered hundreds of cases against the erring shopkeepers and roadside vendors.

Now, most of the city roads in areas, including Haibowal, Sarabha Nagar, Chandar Nagar, Clock Tower, Books Market, Basti Jodhewal, Gurh Mandi, police division 3 chowk, Hargobind Nagar and Field Ganj, besides the Gill road, PAU road, Ferozepur road and the Civil Hospital road are witnessing encroachments which hamper the traffic flow.

At most of the places, the police can be seen issuing challans to traffic rules offenders instead of regulating traffic.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, after assuming charge recently, had expressed concern over the traffic issues and said he would definitely devise some strategy to solve this problem in the industrial city.

Sources said Bhullar had told the traffic police staff to pay more heed to regulate traffic than issuing challans.

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said now the police were in no mood to harass roadside vendors or shopkeepers as elections were round the corner and politicians did not want to upset voters.

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