Bhopal Durga Puja Pandals Choke Roads Amid Metro Construction, Traffic Jams Hit Commuters Across City
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Durga Puja pandals erected by occupying roads at several locations across Bhopal have become a cause of concern for traffic police, disrupting vehicular movement on busy roads as well as narrow residential lanes.
This situation is at a time when half of the city's roads are affected by ongoing metro construction work and the poor condition of roads in many areas.
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From major routes to congested neighbourhoods, pandals have come up by encroaching upon public roads, leaving limited space for vehicles to pass.
The problem becomes particularly severe during peak hours, leading to traffic jams, inconvenience to commuters and in some cases, disputes between organisers and cops.
Large vehicles, two-wheelers, cars and even ambulances are reportedly getting stuck at several locations. The situation may become more critical during an emergency, especially in case of a fire, as congestion may delay the movement of fire tenders and other emergency services.
There are also allegations that some organisers obtain permission from local police stations to set up pandals for just a day or two but keep the structures in place for several days, affecting normal traffic movement. At several locations, pandals have reportedly occupied nearly half the road, increasing the risk of congestion.
A big pandal encroaching on the road has been erected near Katju Hospital, where the road is already congested due to metro works.
Busy areas such as Jahangirabad have also been affected, with a pandal occupying part of Chiklod Road, a key traffic route. Another pandal has encroached upon the road from Shabban Crossing to Jinsi.
In Barkhedi, a densely populated locality, a pandal has been erected by occupying half of the narrow lane.
Similar problems have been reported from TT Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Gautam Nagar, Govindpura, Chhola Mandir, Hanumanganj, Ashoka Garden and several parts of the Old City, where narrow roads and heavy traffic make such encroachments troublesome.
Traffic police officials said disputes had also taken place with organisers at some locations over the extent of road encroachment causing traffic congestion.
In Anna Nagar, a large pandal was reportedly erected after permission was obtained for just one day, leading to traffic congestion. A case has also been registered in connection with the matter.
Additional DCP (Traffic) Basant Kumar Kaul said the most significant traffic problems caused by pandals had been reported near Mata Mandir, PNT Crossing, Anna Nagar and the wine shop near Govindpura. He added that some pandals had been installed for a single day and had subsequently been removed.
Pandal just outside BMC office
A large structure while occupying more than half of the only connecting road of Link Road No 2 road has been erected just outside BMC s office (Atal Bhawan) in Tulsi Nagar.
BMC staff, on condition of anonymity, said that the pandal is restricting the movement of BMC vehicles and is causing congestion. Permission for erecting the pandal at such a location should not have been granted, they said.
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