Traffic travails: Police identify 16 choke points in Ludhiana

The worst affected areas in Ludhiana include stretches of major highways and intersections where traffic is getting gridlocked for hours at a time

As the city undergoes rapid development process, traffic woes are beginning to take their toll on commuters.

Traffic jam at Mata Rani Chowk road in Ludhiana. (HT Photo)

Non-government organisations (NGOs) and traffic police have identified 16 bottleneck points around the city that are significantly adding to the problem.

The district administration has directed the municipal corporation officials to make a detailed project report in this regard.

The worst affected areas include stretches of major highways and intersections where traffic is getting gridlocked for hours at a time. This is causing commuters a great deal of inconvenience and frustration, as they are regularly late for work or other important appointments.

The bottleneck areas were discussed in a recent meeting of Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA) in which officials of the district administration, police, railways, civic body and various NGOs.

Deputy commissioner Surabhi Malik directed the municipal corporation to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) following the meeting.

The DC also asked the civic body to remove the encroachments which are causing bottlenecks.

The MC has also been asked to check if government properties, including electricity poles, buildings are causing problems. If the bottlenecks are due to private properties, they can consider acquiring or exchanging the property.

Rahul Verma, member of Punjab Road Safety Council, said that as the bottleneck points will be rectified, it will save fuel and time of the commuters.

It will also lighten the burden on the police department, as it uses its manpower on the bottlenecks to manage the flow of traffic, he said, adding such points also cause mishaps.