Prayagraj: Jila Mahila Udyog Vyapaar Mandal has drawn attention towards deplorable state of the Civil Lines area, Prayagraj’s main business hub. This area, which falls under the Smart City project, has become a hub of chaos and severe traffic congestion due to four main problems, which are directly impacting business and public life. Avantika Tandon (District President), Pallavi Arora (District General Secretary), Vandana Tripathi (District Treasurer), Rana Chawla (President, Prayag Vyapar Mandal), Dhananjay Singh (General Secretary, City West Prayag Vyapar Mandal), Dinesh Singh (President Jewellers Association) met District Magistrate on Tuesday and handed over a memorandum.
Jila Mahila Udyog Vyapaar Mandal believe that these problems are major obstacles in achieving the objectives of ‘Smart City’: 1. Illegal encroachment and disruption of business
Car and scooter mechanics have permanently encroached upon the pavement and service lanes on major roads in Civil Lines—Elgin Road, SP Marg, MG Marg, DRM Office Road, and Nawab Yusuf Road. Despite repeated attempts by the Municipal Corporation to remove these encroachments, they continue to do so. These people should be issued strict instructions or their vehicles should be banned. Despite being widened, these roads are significantly reduced due to vehicles, equipment, and mechanics’ workshops waiting for repairs. Customer and public traffic is being disrupted, severely impacting business.
Increasing unorganized gathering of vendors: A large number of hawkers are doing business in an uncontrolled manner on the footpaths right in front of the shops and in places like parking and service lanes.
Jila Mahila Udyog Vyapaar Mandal demand that the Municipal Corporation/Development Authority immediately complete the construction of well-organized vendor zones and alternative sites, and that all these vendors be relocated to designated areas as soon as possible. This will reduce traffic congestion on the streets and ensure their livelihoods are secure. Due to the lack of proper parking facilities in the market, customers are forced to park on the streets or in restricted areas, exacerbating traffic congestion. The parking system established by the PDA should be immediately improved. All other authorized parking spaces should be cleared of encroachments and made functional, and projects like multi-level smart parking should be expedited.
Non-functional traffic signals Traffic signals at several important intersections in Civil Lines are either faulty or deliberately kept off, leading to disruption in traffic management.
‘All the traffic signals installed under the Smart City project should be immediately repaired and made operational, so that traffic control can be technology based instead of manual and the movement of vehicles can be smooth.
Jila Mahila Udyog Vyapaar Mandal clear instructions to the Prayagraj administration and Prayagraj Smart City Limited to implement a time-bound action plan to permanently resolve these serious problems, to designate police beats to address the illegal encroachments that reappear just half an hour after being removed by the Municipal Corporation, and to transform Civil Lines into a truly encroachment-free, orderly, and business-friendly Smart City. We would be grateful for your prompt and decisive intervention.
