Amritsar, December 16
Illegal encroachments on Lawrence Road in the holy city have become a nuisance for the local residents. The temporary and permanent encroachments right under the nose of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation have even failed to get noticed.
The tea shops and other fast food joints at Novelty Chowk have become a major attraction for locals during the last few years.
Residents visit these joints for tea and fast-food and prefer to sit around the shops. They park their vehicles on the road. These haphazardly parked vehicles lead to long traffic jams. Moreover, parking outside the Novelty Mall also becomes a hurdle in the flow of traffic.
Not only temporary encroachments, the House Line (front space) of Lawrence Road market has been permanently occupied by showrooms. A prominent sweet shop has encroached upon major space on the road. Theses encroachments and haphazardly parked vehicles lead to long traffic jams in the evening.
“Parking space at Nehru shopping complex is inadequate. There is no other parking space on Lawrence Road, Mall Road and other adjoining streets. The visitors have to park their vehicles on the road which leads to traffic jams,” said Ranjit Sandhu, a resident.
The police should not allow visitors at tea shops to park their vehicles on road. They block a major portion of the road. There is no check by the authorities. The Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) should take action against tea shops and fast food joints for providing sitting space outside their shops. The road often gets blocked in the evening due to illegal parking,” said Malkeet Singh, a trader.
