People of Dehradun are facing problems due to the Sunday market as traders continue to set stalls outside the area designated for the Sunday market.
The stalls set in this market are the main cause of traffic congestion caused on roads around the Parade Ground every Sunday. The Convent Road leading from Survey Chowk and Subhash Road near the Ranger's College are packed with pedestrians and crawling vehicles due to congestion caused by the encroaching traders.
Vijay, an auto rickshaw driver said that on Sunday traffic congestion is very common at lansdowne Chowk as stall owners are encroaching on the roadside for setting their stalls. Sunday market is a weekly feature so a separate place should be allocated or it should be shifted to some other place, he added.
local resident Deepali said that Sunday market causes heavy traffic congestion on the roads due to which chances of accident also increase. Earlier, the stalls were set along the boundary of Parade Ground opposite Tibetan Market but now the stall owners are also using the road opposite to CJM Church and Subhash Road. Another local resident Rahul Rauthan said that it has become difficult for public to walk in the Sunday market as two wheeler owners are not careful while riding. Sunday market should be shifted to some other place like Parade Ground so that people will not face any inconvenience due to traffic congestion, he opined while adding that stall owners are not using proper space which is also creating problem for public.
Shivendra Negi, another local resident, said that traffic congestion has become a routine feature of lansdowne Chowk on Sundays. Vehicles are not properly parked by the owners which also causes problems for the pedestrians and vehicle users, he added. Sankalp Ghildiyal said that a proper place should be allocated for Sunday market so that the roads are clear and safe for the public.
The additional space created after the expansion of the lansdown Chowk does not prove beneficial on Sundays due to the encroachment by traders and haphazardly parked vehicles. The police and administration have not taken any concrete measures to resolve this problem other than stopping four wheelers from using the road in front of the Tibetan Market on Sundays.