Encroachments by fruit sellers new traffic bottleneck

“The vendors block a major part of the road and traffic moves at a snail’s pace. No amount of pleading or blaring horns can move them by an inch,” said Ashank,a resident. The situation gets worse during peak hours when there is a battle between the potential buyers and those travelling to work or back home.

“People park their vehicles in the middle of the road,which is already encroached upon by the fruit sellers. They continue haggling with the vendors,unmindful of the traffic jam they are causing. Policemen deployed at the roundabout too turn their backs to the problem,” complained Renu Bansal,another resident. The vendors,meanwhile,shared their woes claiming that business is better on the main road.

“More people buy our merchandise passing by the main road. Moreover,it is within the knowledge of the traffic policemen deployed there that we are selling our goods. We have to pay the police protection money of Rs 50 a day to put up a stall there,” claimed a vendor.

Meanwhile,S S Saini,HUDA Estate Officer,said the department had highlighted the problem before the administration several times. “We had suggested that the traffic police issue challans to customers who park their vehicles on the road. The problem can be solved only as a collective effort of all the departments. The municipal committee too should be stringent and check the licences of the vendors. They should be allowed to carry out business only in the inner roads of the sectors,” he said.

Anti-encroachment drive in Sector 55
An anti-encroachment drive was carried out in Sector 55 on Monday for removing encroachments on 46.3 acres acquired in Palsora village. This was in continuation with the drive carried out on October 27 held under the supervision of Land Acquisition Officer Ashwani Kumar and SDM (S) Prerna Puri. The land was acquired for development of the third phase of Chandigarh. The enforcement staff removed 40 structures,two nurseries and five scrap dealers from the government land in LBS Colony. The demolition drive was conducted peacefully in police presence and no untoward incident was reported.