Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The opening of Phoenix Citadel, touted to be the biggest mall in Central India, on the bypass, has thrown traffic out of gear in the entire area.
Commuters and those entering and leaving the city are caught in vicious traffic snarls throughout the day, and the choking points are the underpasses on the bypass. The worst affected are those who live in colonies along the bypass. What used to be a smooth ride home has now become a daily nightmare. Things are worse on weekends, days when there are marriages and on holidays.
Since the mall has opened only recently, there is a major curiosity value and people from the city and even from nearby areas are thronging to the mall to see what the fuss is all about, thereby adding to the traffic. The cops too are having a torrid time, trying to control the traffic and the frayed tempers.
Hundreds of vehicles get stuck bumper-to-bumper on the road from Radisson Square, Bengali Square, Kanadiya Bridge, Bicholi Hapsi Bridge and Bicholi Bridge to the bypass.
“The Google map now flashes red around the bypass and I usually avoid the route. The new mall is undoubtedly a good destination, but the traffic there is just a nuisance,” said Pratyush Mathur, a resident of Onyx City.
“Even before this mall sprung into life the traffic situation in the city was deteriorating, and now it is the pits. It took me two hours to travel to my home from my workplace via Star Square on Saturday as all the roads were blocked. Earlier, I experienced this problem every weekend, but now this is becoming an everyday routine.” said Megha Joshi, a resident of the Vitoria Empire society.
WHAT THEY SAY
“As an auto driver, I am always in search of commuters, but now I never accept a ride to the new mall. I was stuck there for 125 minutes or more recently.”
- Naushad Khan, Auto Driver
“It is my daily route to reach my office which is near NRK Business Park. I live in Shikharji Colony and take the bypass. Initially, I thought that the traffic was due to holidays, or weekends, but now that I have realised that that the route is always jammed and it took me three hours to reach my home on Saturday.”
- Manoj Patel, resident of Shikharji Colony
“Cops are standing at the underpass, but it is a hopeless task. There are too many vehicles and the exit points are too few, and the jams are unending”
- Riya Kalwani, resident, Sanjana park
MLA Akash Vijaywargiya writes to the collector, Congress taunts him
The political class has woken up to the problem. MLA Akash Vijavargiya wrote a letter to the collector saying, “For the past week, people are wasting precious time due to traffic jams in the area. Even ambulances with patients are getting stuck. Many people have given land to widen the roads. Quick action is needed.”
The Congress taunted him for the letter. The party’s secretary Neelabh Shukla said, “Instead of writing to the collector about the traffic woes, you should approach the Chief Minister and urge him to find a permanent solution. The Congress plans to launch a protest if a solution is not found soon.”
COPS SAY THEY ARE DOING THEIR BEST
“The police are already doing their best to smoothen the flow of traffic. The mall should not have been allowed to open before converting the narrow service road into a three-lane road. There is unauthorised parking in the area which is adding to the problem. The mall authorities too are not taking any concrete steps to tackle the situation”
- ACP (TRAFFIC) BASANT KAUL
