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Autorickshaws add to congestion on Ludhiana roads, create traffic mess
As roads in Ludhiana are already facing congestion, these encroachments not only add to the problem but also create traffic blockades and jams for motorists throughout the day
: The encroachment by auto and e-rickshaws outside the city bus stand and railway station is adding up to the congestion on city roads as a large number of autos could be seen lined up to ferry passengers, leading to chaos and inconvenience to commuters.
As the city roads are already facing congestion, these encroachments not only add to the problem but also create traffic blockades and jams for motorists throughout the day.
As per the official numbers, there are around 30,000 auto rickshaws and e-rickshaws in Ludhiana. The city bus stand sees a footfall of around 40,000 people, while the railway station sees a footfall of 100,000 people, including migrants, on peak days.
Passengers who deboard the buses coming from different towns, including Jagraon, Mullanpur, Samrala, and Khanna face hordes of rickshaws coming their way. The road outside the railway station also remains choked and faces massive jams due to the same reason.
Robin Garg, who works at a bank on Mall road said, “I travel from Khanna every day by bus. Due to the encroachment, it takes over 10 minutes extra for the bus to reach the bus stand and deboarding the bus is a problem as the roadside is flooded with auto-rickshaws.”
Explaining the gravity of the situation at the railway station, Mrinal Kumar, a resident of Jamalpur shared that the problem of encroachments outside the railway station is so severe that it is common to get stuck there during evening hours.
Traffic authorities said that the matter is under discussion and a decision to resolve the problem will be taken soon.
Assistant commissioner of police Charanjit Singh Lamba said, “We try our best to provide convenience to passengers, but the issue of encroachments is sensitive in nature.”
He further said that a meeting of stakeholders and authorities is scheduled next week regarding the same.
President of district auto-rickshaw union Satish Kumar said that there has been a long pending demand of the auto-rickshaw unions that dedicated auto stands should be introduced at the main traffic points along with commercial lanes.
