Punjab: Unrestricted entry of heavy vehicles in Sahnewal taking toll on locals

The construction of an overbridge in Sahnewal has in a way cast a spell of doom on residents and commuters as they have since long lost their patience and peace due to the illegal entry of heavy vehicles in the town under the very nose of the authorities.

A sign board, barring the entry of heavy vehicles from 8 am to 8 pm, has most conveniently been pushed aside to facilitate the entry of heavy vehicles — a major cause of traffic congestion in the town. Resultantly, one or the other commuter, getting crushed under the tyres of one of these on the narrow market lane, is not far to seek. In fact, it has become a day-to-day affair for both residents as well as drivers of these vehicles, who seldom slacken their speed in the teeming town.

“The tractor-trailers have till date caused a number of major and minor incidents due to their huge size and lack of judgment on the part of the driver sitting at a height. Moreover, the speed at which they cross the Sahnewal chowk gives many a chill in the spine. The tractor-trailer drivers fail to make any difference when it comes to crushing — it may be a vehicle or even a precious life,” said Rajiv Kapila, a local.

“While the tractor-trailers and trucks have a field day on the single main market road of Sahnewal, other vehicles remain stranded. We really lament the moment when we urged the government to build a flyover,” rued Harbans Singh, another resident.

“We cannot fix a target time to reach our destination. Sometimes, a five-minute run is extended to hours as the chowk is humming with traffic from all sides,” said Navdeep Kaur, a teacher at a local school. “The traffic police affixed temporary barricades and dividers on the humming main market road after the problem was highlighted in The Tribune. But, these, too, are reducing in size with each passing day, with one or the other fixture missing from the spot,” she added.

DCP (headquarters) Rupinder Singh said, “The ADCP (Traffic) and PS shall work out the possible options to ease the traffic woes of the commuters. The illegal entry of the heavy vehicles, if taking place, shall be checked by all means.”

Ludhiana