Non-functional traffic lights add to commuters’ woes in Patiala

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Patiala, December 7

Having spent Rs 2.24 crore on the installation of new traffic lights and blinkers, the Municipal Corporation is yet to make the light points functional.

Residents, commuters and traffic personnel are harassed on a daily basis due to the non-functionality of the lights.

The city’s traffic flow is already dismal due to the haphazard movement of traffic, encroachments on roads and sidewalks and presence of street vendors on the city roads.

According to the residents, the non-functionality of the traffic lights has become a normal affair in Patiala.

A resident said, “Most traffic light points witness jams and vehicular chaos due to the non-functionality of the traffic lights. Most of the traffic lights on the Bhadson road to the ones on the Bhupindra road, near the SST nagar, and in Tripuri, are non-functional. However, the lights at Leela Bhawan and the ones near Gurudwara Dukhniwaran Sahib are functional. The MC needs to implement a mechanism to keep a check on the functioning of the lights throughout the day.”

Residents said many commuters meet with accidents when they travel through the areas with no functional traffic lights. Varinder, a city resident, said, “Due to the non- functionality of traffic lights in many areas, the residents do not stop at the signals and make haste, which leads to accidents, especially at the SST Nagar light point, near the Choti Nadi on Patiala-Rajpura road.”

He added, “The lights on the road connecting Lakkar Mandi to Sheesh Mahal was earlier defunct. It is now functional, but the many others across the city have gone defunct.”

MC Joint Commissioner Naman Marken said he will direct the officials to look into the matter and take corrective measures at the earliest.