Jalandhar: Days after the MLA and the district administration took aggressive steps over the construction of a highly controversial traffic intersection, the administration has started the process of dismantling the junction. The development will bring relief to thousands of commuters, including hundreds of school children, who inadvertently get stuck in the traffic jam. The administration has also started the legal process of imposing Section 152 of the BNS on the accused in the SDM’s court. The SDM has already sent notices to the Municipal Committee Executive Officer (EO) and the PWD Executive Engineer (XEN). “The process will be completed within a week,” said an insider. For the past three days, the city has been echoing with angry voices of residents, who claim they have never witnessed such a long traffic jam in the past several decades. Old timers say they fail to understand what prompted the MLA to “illegally” construct the junction.
The structure, where four roads meet, is named after Sikh religious figure Bhai Lalo. One road passes through the railway underpass and goes to the bus stand, while others lead to different places in the city. The railway underpass was constructed with the aim of decongesting traffic. However, things have returned to normal and the underpass is clogged with traffic. The diversion is proving to be more of a bane than a boon for commuters. The construction work was carried out despite objections from the PWD. It had claimed that the structure needed to be redesigned. A senior official said the administration was shocked when some private players started the construction process on government land even though they had prohibited anyone from carrying out construction. “We have to follow the legal process before demolishing it. We have started that process and now in just a few days, this crossing will come down,” he said.
Interestingly, when the MLA and his men had reached the area to start the construction, the administration had informed the police. However, the police remained a mute spectator. “What if a police officer’s car gets stuck in the jam tomorrow? The police themselves are stuck in a quagmire of their own making,” said a commuter. Officials said representatives of the Bhai Lalo community would be taken into confidence “before taking any major decision.” “We don’t want a religious reaction. Also, we don’t want commuters to get stuck in a massive traffic jam, as is happening now. We have taken note of the fact that hundreds of school children get stuck in the jam. We have also received complaints from parents. We won’t disappoint the community and at the same time we will find a solution to the problem,” he said.
