Gurgaon commuters blame fruit vendors for congestion on Sector 56 road

The Sector 56 road is one of the busiest in the city and often jam-ridden

Heavy traffic movement, narrow lanes, fruit and vegetable vendors and encroachment on the footpaths along the main road leading to Sector 56 from Huda City Centre Metro station ensure that the road is ridden with traffic jams for most part of the day.

According to commuters, people stop in the middle of the road to purchase fruits and vegetables, blocking traffic. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The situation worsens during peak hours, leading to hour-long jams.

The stretch, better known as the Sector 56 road, connects the sector to Iffco Chowk, Sushant Lok, and Huda City Centre. It is the only straight road to Sector 56 from Huda City Centre, but before taking the road, commuters make sure to take into account the extra time they will have to spend on the stretch.

“It has been always like this. The only way to avoid being late is to leave early and hope that the jam would not be a long one,” said Sumit Kiran of Sector 44.

The Sector 56 road is one of the busiest roads of Gurgaon as it connects the city to Delhi, Faridabad, Sohna and major roads within the city. Various highrises, including upscale residential complexes and corporate offices, are located along the road. However, small lanes and a bad drainage system ensure slow vehicular movement with traffic coming to a standstill at various junctions.

“I spend more than an hour daily from my house to Huda City Centre. The traffic jams seems almost everlasting, making travelling seem like the biggest mistake of my life,” said Amit Nanda, a businessman.

According to commuters, the worst part of the stretch is the fruit and vegetable vendors and the people who stop in the middle of the road to haggle with them over price.

“These vendors are the biggest menace on the roads. (Due to them) people drive and stop at will. It seems as if the traffic rules don’t apply to them,” said Bhanu Pratap Singh, a retired government official.

Apart from the parked cars, encroachment by hawkers on the footpaths and the lack of a foot overbridge or an underpass on the entire stretch leaves pedestrians with no choice but to walk on the main road.

“We will take action against the vendors and encroachments. They will be removed on Thursday. We have informed our enforcement wing to take action,” said SS Rohilla, MCG spokesperson.