A challaning drive against traffic offenders in Chandigarh. Express Archives

With the Municipal Corporation of Mohali going soft on shopkeepers, there is unfettered encroachment of the already less parking space in all the main markets of the city. Big stalls are put up with impunity at Phase 7, Phase 3B2, Phase 5 and Phase 10 markets. As a result, the parking spills over to the roads, creating more chaos. BJP councillor Ashok Jha said that “despite the best of efforts”, MC could not stop the shopkeepers from installing vends outside the shops this year too. He does not specify what these efforts were and for how long they had been implemented.
Mayor Kulwant Singh says the MC officials do take action but they could not address the “problem” adequately as there is a genuine lack of space.

Not surprisingly, with lukewarm efforts by the MC officials, the city markets are again struggling to cope with the traffic chaos which is bound to increase in the next two days.

Phase 3B2 market association’s president, Mahavir Singh Dhillon, said that as per their estimate, during Diwali festive season, the busy markets have an estimated footfall of around 4,000 to 4,500 people every day. “Around three years ago when the MC had introduced paid parking in Mohali, the average footfall during Diwali had gone down a bit. Since now there is no paid parking, the number of people and vehicles has been on an increase during Diwali rush,” he said.

According to a Municipal Corporation (MC) official, the standard-sized markets have an area of around 560×50 square feet which can accommodate around 550 four-wheelers. “There are no separate open spaces for parking in Mohali which are near the markets and which can be used to park vehicles. This is why the parking spills over to roads after the parking lots of the markets get choked,” an MC official said.

The district police seemed to be ill-equipped to deal with the heavy rush during the festive season. The district police have only three tow-away vans and 140 traffic police personnel. Apart from Mohali city, there are towns like Kurali, Derabassi, Kharar and Zirakpur which have an acute problem of traffic but with lesser resources, the traffic police have to deal with the problem.

SP (Traffic) Harbir Singh Atwal said that traffic police personnel have been deputed at the markets which are congested and PCR vehicles too are available to help the traffic police personnel regulate the traffic in case of rush. However, the district police have only three tow-away vans and 140 traffic police personnel. That number appears woefully short given the fact that apart from Mohali, there are towns like Kurali, Derabassi, Kharar and Zirakpur which have to be covered with the same strength.