The municipal corporation (MC) and police have will form joint teams to deal with encroachments and traffic jams ahead of the festive season. Councillors have also been roped in to prevent shopkeepers from encroaching on road portions of markets, which results in traffic bottlenecks.
A meeting was held regarding the same at the MC’s Zone-D office on Wednesday, which was attended by MC commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal, joint commissioner of police (JCP - city and traffic) Deepak Pareek, MC additional commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal and other MC officials. Senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra and councillors including Jai Prakash, Sunny Bhalla, Baljinder Bunty and Rakesh Prashar were also present.
It was decided to appeal to shopkeepers to reduce the area of vends outside their shops and take action against those not abiding by it.Making main markets/roads vehicle-free zones or one-way roads after getting consent from councillors concerned was also discussed.
Traffic chaos is being witnessed in various markets including Ghumar Mandi and Gol Market in Model Town; Field Ganj, Chaura Bazar and Jawahar Nagar camp.
Senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra said , “Shopkeepers in Chaura Bazar are ready to ban the entry of four-wheelers in the market. Banning entry of vehicles in markets will also be discussed and appeal will be made to shopkeepers to reduce the area of the vends outside their shops. We do not want to play spoilsport during the festive season as the market is already going through a slump. But, action will be taken against shopkeepers if they remain adamant and create traffic bottlenecks.”
{{/usCountry}}Senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra said , “Shopkeepers in Chaura Bazar are ready to ban the entry of four-wheelers in the market. Banning entry of vehicles in markets will also be discussed and appeal will be made to shopkeepers to reduce the area of the vends outside their shops. We do not want to play spoilsport during the festive season as the market is already going through a slump. But, action will be taken against shopkeepers if they remain adamant and create traffic bottlenecks.”
{{/usCountry}}Temporary vending zones to be established
It was also decided to locate vacant spaces in markets which can be used as temporary vending zones where so street vendors can be shifted.
The Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) was directed to open the basement of the multi-storey complex on Rani Jhansi road to establish temporary parking. Further, the officials were asked to locate vacant plots, schools etc which can be used as temporary parking lot in the evening. The project to establish temporary parking sites in the city has been hanging fire for over a month.