As planners err, traffic snarls order of theday at Manas Square-Loha Pul stretch

 

 

 

 

 

UNSCIENTIFIC planners at helm are a real source of headache for the common citizens who have to face the brunt of their illogical planning. Take for example Manas Square near Loha Pul, for years no solution could be found for the problem leaving citizens to bear with sorry state of affairs day after day for years together. Vehicular traffic just crawls after merging from Ganesh Tekdi fly-over and Morris College T-point and the one coming from Sitabuldi direction. At peak hours of morning and evening, the circle turns into into a whirlpool owing to mess in planning. Its choc-a-bloc situation on a daily basis and conditions have not changed even after decades. And incidentally one just cannot avoid the Manas Square and Loha Pul as it is the junction point for East-West and vice versa movement of traffic in city. Particularly, during evening, the situation worsens and even for that matter deployment of traffic cops doesnot help ensure smooth passage. This happens when somesmart aleck jumps the queueand throw the entire schemeof things in disarray. Besides Manas Square, traffic snarls are now common at RBI square, Zero Mile Square, Morris College T-point and Jai Stambh Square. In evening, thecentral part of the city nowresembles any busy junction of Mumbai metropolis asvehicles practically drag inchby inch to reach the next signal. Adding to the congestion, the traffic diversion fromJaistambh Square to Manas Square to facilitate construction of an overbridge from the square adds to the already chaotic situation.The impact of the diversion results in piling up of vehicles from Morris College T-point to Manas Square and even traffic police can do little to avoid the mess due to the mixed nature of traffic. Citizens on smaller vehicles, particularly two wheelers try to sneak through the small gap causing the four wheelers to slam on the brakes and in process block the entire flow of traffic in the back. Constructed by Britishers almost 100 years ago, the Loha pool underpass has become a choking point for the commuters driving the vehicles without anyone having time on inclination to follow the traffic rules. Last week, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was also stuck in a traffic jam. The officer himself got down and took matters in hand and brought discipline that led to smooth movement of vehicles. Plying of private buses and an official bus stop for the private buses at Manas Chowk have worsened the already acute problem of traffic congestion. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Traffic Control Branch Sarang Awad told ‘The Hitavada’ that a team of traffic personnel is regularly deployed at Manas Square to ensure smooth flow of traffic and avoid jams. However the task is made quite difficult by impatient drivers and it seems everyone is in a tearing hurry and complicates the matters on ground. Still police are taking all measures to ease the traffic congestion,” he said.