The Metro mess at Dhantoli intersection
   Date :18-May-2019
 By Rahul Dixit & Vikas Vaidya
EVEN as ‘Mazi Metro’ chugs along from the Sitabuldi station, below its high pillars a nasty chaos reigns near Dhantoli Police Station every day. The intersection sees a swamp of vehicles squeezing for space for the entire day. Four wheelers, two wheelers, heavy trucks jostle for space in a constant state of confusion. Welcome to the Metro Mess! And find yourself a space to move around the huge pillars that stand right in the middle of the road.
 
 
The pillars of Metro Rail stand right in the middle of the square, adding to the trouble. 
 
The Dhantoli Police Station intersection is just one small part of the future trouble created by the construction of Metro Rail. All these spots are bound to change traffic movement in the city henceforth. It would not be a simple glide that was once the hallmark of Nagpur’s traffic. The under-construction pillars occupying space on busy roads on most of the squares will hereafter force the drivers to do a rethink before finding space to move ahead.
 
At Dhantoli intersection, traffic coming from Mehadia Square, Congress Nagar, Ghat Road, and Laxmi Theater Road converges amid the giant pillars carrying ‘Mazi Metro’. The construction work underway at Humpyard Road has narrowed road width at this section, making it extremely difficult to find a way across. A pillar supporting Metro bridge stands right in the middle of the square which has become an obstacle for traffic.
 
People, too, are taking advantage of the pillar treating it as a road divider. Little did they realise, it is an invitation for a mishap as commuters standing on the other side of the pillar are unaware of the oncoming vehicles. Signals help to contain the flow and at the same time add to the chaos.
 
Traffic snarl has become a routine as after every 15 minutes the square is choc-a-block with vehicles coming from Congress Nagar square fighting for space with those coming from Mehadia Square. Both roads are so narrow that vehicles move ahead at snail’s pace. Rush-hour commuters snake through the mess, ignoring signals and making it an accident-prone spot. Those who follow the rules watch helplessly even as they care for their own lives, perennially in danger of getting crushed under an oncoming heavy vehicle.
 
Rush hours -- in the morning and evening -- are the worst. The square hardly sees presence of a Traffic Cop. Neither are there men from Metro Rail’s traffic department to monitor traffic. Not authority has so far taken any step to streamline traffic. Minor accidents are the order of the day. Fortunately, no major mishap has so far been reported on
the stretch.
 
Even after the construction is over, the pillars will remain, forcing a huge change in traffic culture of the city. It is a mess that development has left behind, on the entire stretch of ‘Mazi Metro’.