Car parking by dealers hassles visitors to Chhoti Baradari area in Patiala

Over a year after the Punjab and Haryana High Court intervened and directed the Municipal Corporation to look into the matter of shifting the Chhoti Baradari car bazaar and take appropriate action in accordance with the law, nothing much has changed on the ground. Shopkeepers continue to face harassment as second-hand car dealers, who own or have rented booths, continue to park dozens of vehicles in the parking area throughout the day.

Illegally parked cars “for sale” in the parking lot of the city business hub of Chhoti Baradari has created bottlenecks and also caused inconvenience to hundreds of people who visit the place for work.

Regular parking of these vehicles leave limited parking space for others.

The car bazaar has become a matter of concern for business owners, office-goers students and others visiting the area. The Chhoti Baradari market comprises top banks, educational institutes and private offices. Dealers park cars in such a manner that it creates traffic bottlenecks throughout the day.

There have been brawls or heated arguments between commuters and dealers over parking space.

Local businessmen and traders alleged that their complaints to the district administration and the Municipal Corporation over the issue had fallen on deaf ears.

Khushveer Singh, an office-goer, said, “We have repeatedly complained to the administration, but no action has been taken to contain the menace. If we ask dealers to remove their cars parked outside shops, they come in groups and threaten us.”

Office-goers said most car dealers owned a small shop in the area, but they parked their vehicles all across the length and breadth of the roads, which created traffic bottlenecks all day long.