Patiala, February 18
Despite shifting the Sunday market from Adalat Bazar to the parking lot at Beant Singh Complex of Chhotti Baradari a few years ago, the Municipal Corporation has failed to properly manage both places. As a result, chaos prevails at both places every Sunday with huge rush causing traffic jams.
Mess every weekend
When the market was shifted to Beant Singh Complex of Chhotti Baradari, we were told that it was done for some time. Our area has been witnessing a mess every Sunday for the past so many years. We can't even invite our relatives or leave our homes due to the huge number of outsiders present in the area. Area residents
While vendors continue to operate at Adalat Bazaar, the weekly market in the Chhoti Baradari area has only become a menace for commuters and local businessmen. Shopkeepers in Chhotti Baradari claim they cannot even open their offices or shops on Sunday due to the makeshift booths and tables placed by roadside vendors to sell their products.
Nearby residents claim that in case of fire or any other major tragedy, evacuation will be next to impossible. "When the market was shifted to Beant Singh Complex of Chhotti Baradari, we were told that it was done for some time. Our area has been witnessing a mess every Sunday for the past so many years. We can't even invite our relatives or leave our homes due to the huge number of outsiders present in the area," say local residents.
The market was shifted from Adalat Bazar more than 14 years ago to decongest the marketplace. To date, the MC has failed to shift the vendors to an appropriate site, besides finding and finalising an alternative place for the purpose.
A city resident said, "Adalat Bazar remains chaotic in the same manner as it did before the Sunday market was shifted to Chhoti Baradari. Earlier, the vendors at Chhotti Baradari were only confined to the parking area, but now, their number has increased and so, they encroach on roads, footpaths and parking lots of adjoining areas.
"Many of us find it extremely difficult to reach our offices on time," a local resident said. "Illegal parking fee is collected by those with links to the political mafia, while we can't reach our own house in car, leave aside holding a get-together on a Sunday or having guests home," they added.
Another resident said the corporation had assured them time and again that it would shift the market to some other place. "But it has failed to do so in years," he said.
Meanwhile, MC officials said they would soon find an appropriate place to shift the market. "It is up to the politicians of the ruling party to take a decision as we cannot just shift the market without political will," said a senior official.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/RBjTvMq
No comments:
Post a Comment