GMDA readies rules to keep tabs on entry of trucks, check snarls

GURUGRAM: Help could be on way for Gurugram, a city synonymous with traffic jams and lack of parking space. Officials of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) believe heavy commercial vehicles are a major cause for the city’s perennial traffic jams, and are working on a plan to streamline their movement.

“Our main concern is to find out at any given point in time, how many trucks are in the city, how many are plying on the road, how many are parked and where exactly. We’re doing this exercise because trucks are the biggest source of traffic jams and nobody seems to be sure about their numbers.

“As a first step, we’re preparing a list of all registered vehicles, and will ask truck owners to network with us,” said a GMDA official.

“The second step will be to find out how many trucks can be allowed to enter the city without affecting the normal flow of traffic. We’ll put a cap on the number of trucks to be allowed entry. For example, if the capacity we can handle is say 500 trucks, we’ll clear entry for only that many. Permissions will be given on hourly basis, and trucks will have to exit the city within a specified time. If they overstay, they will automatically be issued challans and also face being impounded.”

Authorities believe this is a workable idea as it will provide economic benefit to owners as well. “Right now, there is no tab on movement of trucks. Many a time, owners are not sure of the whereabouts of their trucks, which enter the city mainly to pick up or drop goods, after which, drivers just park them on the roadside, causing traffic jams. As part of the analytic system we’re working upon, once a truck enters and exists city limits, an automatic message will be sent to the owner, and its location can be tracked live remotely. We’re also trying to figure out the density of different types of vehicles in each sector, in a phased manner,” the official added.

Traffic cops have welcomed the move. “The other day, we caught two trucks plying in the afternoon on Old Delhi-Gurugram road. They had no business to be on the road at this hour. These trucks are a major cause of traffic jams, and their movement needs to be streamlined. We’re working in coordination with GMDA officials to regulate city traffic movement, and their proposal will reduce the burden on city roads in coming months. We hope to roll it out by year-end,” said a senior traffic official.