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Cars go bumper to bumper, bring Ludhiana’s Feroze Gandhi market to a standstill
Adding to the congestion at Ludhiana’s Feroze Gandhi market are vehicles entering and exiting the parking area and those parked on the roadside owing to lack of ample space
Roads at the city’s commercial hub, the Feroze Gandhi market, continue to be a nightmare for commuters — with regular traffic jams and bottlenecks being witnessed throughout the day.
Adding to the congestion are vehicles entering and exiting the parking area and those parked on the roadside owing to lack of ample space.
As the market hosts several commercial complexes including the Ludhiana stock exchange, prominent banks, and corporate offices, and is surrounded by important government offices including district courts and the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), it sees a footfall of over 50,000 people daily.
Due to the traffic jams on Ferozepur road amid the ongoing construction commuters, the motorists coming from the Pakhowal road towards the Bharat Nagar chowk also take this route to save time but get stuck in the traffic for 20 to 30 minutes during the peak hours.
The market has five different parking lots that remain filled to capacity due to the massive rush of people who visit the city’s prominent market; a parking area has also been marked along the roadside.
A project to develop a multi-level parking under the Smart City project had been also introduced by the municipal authorities only to be dropped afterward.
Visitors, business owners left hassled
Manish Verma, who works at a bank, said the market roads are already narrow and remain clogged with vehicles flowing in from both directions with the intersections being the most affected.
He added that a number of people who come for different tasks park their vehicles on the road to save themselves from getting caught in the traffic jams in the parking zones, creating more trouble for other commuters as well.
“Despite the occasional towing vans, the traffic police had minimal presence. More personnel should be deployed to control the traffic,” he added.
Amarjit Singh, who owns an immigration firm and his office at the market, said it takes over 30 minutes at times to get out of the market on a four wheeler, adding, “We have started to arrange meetings with our customers at venues outside the market to save them from trouble.”
He said the number of offices is increasing rapidly, the problem of congestion should be dealt with seriously, adding that two of the five parking lots lie dilapidated leading to harassment for the public.
Feroze Gandhi Market Association president Paramjit Singh Gill said after the multi-level parking project had been dropped, they had proposed a separate parking lot at nearby government land to reduce the congestion. He added that a meeting with the officials concerned is being planned for the same.
Addressing the issue, meanwhile, additional deputy commissioner of police Sameer Verma (ADCP, Traffic) said the regular towing vans and traffic personnel are deployed in the area to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
He added that vehicles parked roadside led to jams, and action will be taken against those indulging in the same.
Administration plans repair
Ludhiana (West) legislator Gurpreet Gogi, meanwhile, said a fund of a total of ₹1.15 crore has been allocated to the repair and development of the existing parking lots. He added that the issue will be taken up in the upcoming meeting of the administration.
