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Heavy vehicles, broken roads cause gridlock in Mohali’s industrial areas
Mohali, a city with world-class potential, stands at a crucial juncture, struggling with third-world traffic conditions
The industrial areas in Mohali are witnessing increased traffic congestion, with heavy vehicles moving during both peak hours and late at night, causing major inconvenience to commuters and workers alike. Broken and uneven roads are further compounding the problem.
Highlighting the widespread problem of parking spaces and congestion on road sides, road safety expert Harpreet Singh, said, “The companies have created parking spaces on road sides, obstructing pedestrian paths and causing congestion. No parking should be allowed on roads or road sides except in designated areas. The municipality must design and install proper road signs and markings, and enforcement agencies should carry out regular checks. Measures like one-way traffic, no-entry zones, and peak-hour heavy vehicle bans are essential.”
‘Smarter traffic management, a need of the hour’
Mohali, a city with world-class potential, stands at a crucial juncture, struggling with third-world traffic conditions. “If we truly want Mohali to evolve as a smart industrial hub, we must invest in smarter traffic management, stricter regulation, and sustainable road infrastructure. Traffic discipline, enforcement, and infrastructure, these are not luxuries anymore; they are the foundation of safe and efficient urban growth,” said another road safety expert Kamaljeet Soi.
According to traffic officials, the police are planning to deploy PCRs in industrial areas during late hours to streamline the movement of heavy vehicles and prevent parking violations.
Commuters, meanwhile, say the situation worsens after office hours. “It took me nearly 40 minutes to cross just a 2-km stretch near Industrial Area, Phase 8-B, around 9 pm. Trucks were parked on both sides and barely left space to pass,” said Nitin Sharma, an IT professional working in the area.
Industrial Association push for one-way traffic from Airport Road
Members of the Industrial Association said they have been raising the issue repeatedly but little has changed on the ground. “We have given our suggestions to the authorities, but the work is yet to be seen on the ground. For Industrial Area Phase 8B, we specifically proposed making the road one-way after taking a turn from Airport Road. We also asked for barricading near Cheema Boilers, where people frequently take the wrong side, making it accident-prone,” said Vivek Kapoor, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mohali.
Echoing similar concerns, Ravinder Pal Singh from the Industrial Association said they had even submitted a detailed site plan. “We had visited the site and given a permanent solution. We prepared a blueprint suggesting that the service road connecting to Airport Road, one of the busiest stretches, should have proper angles and barriers till Cheema Boilers. The ‘B’ Road, which turns right, must be declared one-way to ease congestion. We had also suggested that heavy vehicles be allowed entry only after 9 am, along with regular monitoring by the traffic police,” he said.
Despite detailed recommendations and continuous follow-ups by industry representatives, commuters and stakeholders say no visible change has taken place so far. For now, the industrial areas continue to remain choked, leaving daily commuters, workers, and businesses bearing the brunt of poor planning and weak enforcement.
