Farmers Movement Archive

Traffic returning to dilapidated road poses grave risk to lives

Amritsar, October 3Following easing of restrictions, traffic has started returning to roads. A sea of vehicles being driven at a high speed, honking of horns and traffic violations are once again visible.Recently, an accident near the Mall Mandi Chowk on the GT road snuffed out the life of a woman Scooty rider, sending a grim reminder of the lack of infrastructure on the stretch.The stretch on the GT Road from the Golden Gate to the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) remains highly vulnerable to accidents. A coconut vendor at the Mall Mandi Chowk said accidents on the stretch were frequent, especially at the intersection. The prime reason is that there are no traffic lights at the crossing to guide the fast-moving traffic, most of which comprises travelers from the Jalandhar side.In addition, there are many residential localities on either side of the road from which emerge a large number of vehicles. So the traffic flow remains high throughout the day. A 3 km elevated road also runs over the same stretch, its columns eclipsing the view for motorists, thereby posing risk to lives.Harpinder Singh Walia, a resident of New Golden Avenue, which also falls on the same stretch, said traffic lights must be installed at New Amritsar cross, Mall Mandi and Panj Peer chowks to manage and control the traffic.Commuting on the GT Road’s stretch from the Golden Gate to the ISBT invariably unfolds a terrible experience to motorists, two-wheeler riders and heavy-vehicle drivers. A large number of passenger-ferrying buses and trucks utilise the road as it connects the holy city with Jalandhar and areas ahead of it.Over the past some years, the same stretch has became the centre of urbanisation as a number of residential colonies have sprung up. So a large number of two-wheelers and four-wheelers are natural to utilise the stretch.Shamsher Bir Singh, a resident of Partap Nagar, which falls on the same stretch, said: “The service lane would have separated heavy vehicles and light vehicles. Now, the GT road’s stretch from the New Amritsar Chowk to the ISBT unfolds a terrible experience to motorists and heavy vehicles commuting over it. The occurrence of accidents is natural and many lost their lives and limbs,” he said, adding that there is a need of a dedicated safety plan for the stretch such as driving limit under 50 kmph, traffic lights signals, etc.

The Tribune

2020-10-04