Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Parking of heavy vehicles (containers and dumpers) along the bypass and service road that was earlier confined near Palda Square has now stretched to Bicholi Mardana where it is giving a hard time to the people living in nearby colonies.
Residents of nearby housing societies say that heavy vehicles parked on the service road make it difficult for them to drive as there is very little space left. Ironically, the service road was made to give space to smaller vehicles, but now it has been captured by heavy vehicles!
Truck drivers claim that the place where they park is the New Reti Mandi, but Indore Municipal Corporation has never officially declared it to be so.
Moreover, the stretch of bypass starting from Nayta Mundla to Bicholi and the service road has a thin layer of sand on it, making driving two-wheelers difficult.
Manoj Bhatte, a resident of Mount Burg society said, “Town and country planning department is at fault, as they should have provided space for parking of these big vehicles beforehand."
A line of illegally parked trucks and other heavy vehicles often brings mobility to a standstill along the service road. Even trucks coming from Nemawar and beyond halt near the edge of the bypass in Palda.
Several shops that provide service to the truck drivers have sprung up, adding to the congestion. Residents of Mount Burg Society informed Free Press that driving on the service road is scary as half of the road is occupied by sand trucks and rashly driven vehicles ply on the remaining portion of the road.
Lokesh Mehta, a resident of Sampat Hills said, “Apart from trucks occupying the roads, vehicles coming from the wrong direction also create chaos.”
Despite these immense problems, the authorities are not doing much to rectify the situation.
FP Photo
Accident prone area
The haphazard situation created by the parked trucks makes it risky to drive two-wheelers on the bypass and even on the service road. In the past, many accidents have taken place in the area.
Pallavi Swami, a resident of Satellite Hill said, “I am mostly concerned about safety when I drive through that area. Due to big trucks and speeding vehicles, we are not left with much space to drive.
Also, the sand which is spread on the road makes it difficult to control the vehicle while driving.”
Multiple complaints submitted
The association and committee of the societies situated nearby have complained about this issue to
the administration. In response, they have been assured that their problem would be solved.
Officials say
“We received various complaints against the sand-laden trucks creating traffic chaos at the bypass. It becomes more problematic during weekends. We regularly act against the trucks on getting complaints. The district administration has earmarked land for developing the Reti Mandi near Deveguradia but the delay in its work is one of the reasons for the problems.”
- Manish Agrawal, DCP (Traffic)
