Dusshera celebrations: Chandigarh Police shares plan to avoid traffic jams

Anticipating heavy pedestrian and vehicular congestion at major Dussehra sites in the city on Saturday, the Chandigarh Traffic Police issued an advisory.

For the Sector 17 function, there are five designated parking lots, including those at Sector 22-A, Sector 22-B, Sector 17 Football Ground, front and back of Neelam Cinema and adjacent Sector 17 bus stand.

After the public disperses between 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm, traffic coming from Sector 17/18 light point, Aroma light point, Sector 18/19/20/21 chowk and Cricket Stadium Chowk will be diverted from Sector 17 ISBT Chowk on Udyog Path. Only buses will be able to circulate on this stretch at the time of dispersion.

For the Sector 34 function, the five designated parking lots include the Sabzi Mandi ground, the Shyam Mall parking lot, the library building parking lot and the shopping complex parking lot, all in Sector 34, and the open land near the Sector market 33-D.

Between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm, the road that connects the Sector 34/35 traffic light towards the Furniture Market, curve in Sector 34, will be closed to the general public.

For Sector 46, there are two authorized parking lots, including the Sector 46 market parking lot and the adjacent booth parking lot in Sector 46-D. Between 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm, the road leading from the Sector 45/46 light point towards Sector 46 will remain closed.

Traffic police advised the public to consider carpooling, walk to nearby markets and not park their vehicles in prohibited areas, roads and cycle paths, otherwise they will be towed. The traffic police helpline 1073 can be contacted for towed vehicles.

Beopar Mandal demands deployment of more traffic guards near markets

The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) police coordination committee met Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP, Traffic) Sumer Pratap Singh on Friday to provide additional parking at nearby schools, community centers and vacant lots for the rush of festival.

Members also said that traffic police should be deployed in sufficient numbers during peak hours on V-4 roads, outside congested markets and at roundabouts. Road markings within market parking lots must be carried out whenever necessary.

Chairman Charanjiv Singh said the vendors were occupying prime parking areas of the markets and should be shifted to vendor zones already reserved by the municipal corporation. Sometimes these sellers also park their vans in parking lots to stock their merchandise. Institutions such as nursing homes, hospitals, temples, schools and bhawans near markets should be instructed to provide parking facilities within their premises as they lead to further suffocation of market parking space.

SSP Singh shared the list of designated parking lots for 21 markets in the city and said he has written to the MC also to open community centers for additional parking during the festival season. He also assured members that extra staff will be deployed at the market to manage the festive rush.