With shopping at its peak for the festival season in City beautiful, commuters on roads faced traffic snarls in several parts of the city.
The areas adjoining to markets in City including sector Sectors 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 26, 35, and 47 were the worst affected with haphazardly parked vehicles on roads creating massive bottlenecks. Commuters were bogged in bumper to bumper traffic in the entire stretch of Madhya Marg and Himalaya Marg. The roundabouts were the worst affected. A commuter on Madhya Marg complained that it took more than half an hour to cross the Madhya Marg from Matka Chowk to Transport light point, which usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Senior Superintendent of Traffic Police, Manish Chaudhry said that the problem has become more severe due to inappropriate vehicle parking in the market places and also due to the shopper’s stalls erected in parking areas. “We have also requested the Municipal Corporation not to permit shopkeepers to erect their stalls in parking areas; strict action will be taken against those who found alleged accused for such encroachments,” the SSP added.
Meanwhile, apart from deputing traffic police personnel at thickly populated areas of the city, a large number of home guard volunteers have also been ordered to tackle traffic jam problems. Alternative routes for commuters are also being planned, which can be taken during emergencies.