Gittikhadan grappling with traffic snarls, improper road infrastructure
| Date :30-Mar-2024 |
By Vaishnavi Pillay
Gittikhadan area in Nagpur West is a bustling locality struggling with several civic issues, notably its chaotic traffic and road management problems. From sheer disregard of traffic rules to unsystematic road construction, the area has become a spot of frustration for residents and commuters alike. From absence of road dividers in certain areas to uneven roads, the area remains under-served by the authorities. Residents here are also concerned regarding the underage drivers recklessly navigating the streets, particularly during night hours, without any care for safety or the law. The residential area is now increasing rapidly. Once vast open tracts of agricultural land are vanishing right before one’s eyes and new swanky towers are coming-up, and the already increased traffic is adding to chaos day after day. But perhaps Gittikhadan area being on the fringe of the city has left people feeling the absence of civic initiatives to ensure necessary development.
As Raju Khandelwal, a shop owner at Gittikhadan Square, while speaking to ‘The Hitavada’ says, “It has become a habit of many drivers of not following traffic rules here. Wrong-side driving has become a norm, putting everyone else on the road at risk. The traffic signal does not work properly, and even when it does, only a few obey it. I rarely see any Traffic Police officers here at the Square to watch over things. Also, there are many young people under 18 years of age riding vehicles without worrying about legal ramifications,” he adds. Residents here are also having trouble commuting on the cement road from Gittikhadan Square to Borgaon Square. There are no road dividers on the initial part of the road, making it hard for people travelling from both directions to move around easily. Kanhaiyya Jethwani, a resident of Gittikhadan area, said, “There should be a divider installed, at least for the first few metres of the road because its absence allows commuters to enter from both sides of the road.” He added that although the road is supposed to be two-way, it acts more like a one-way street, and vehicles moving in both directions add on to the issue.
However, few shopkeepers are also of the view that if dividers are installed, the road width will reduce and the road will become narrower, leading to congestion and difficulty for vehicles to move.
To address these problems, Adv Sundeep Badana filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the High Court last year, praying for directions to authorities as there is need for urgent change to ensure that the area does not end-up as a gone case. “Although some actions were taken after the PIL was filed, still there are persisting road safety and infrastructure issues awaiting to be addressed,” Adv Badana told ‘The Hitavada’. In his PIL, Adv Badana raised concerns about unplanned road dividers, the absence of speed control measures in areas like Gittikhadan, Dabha, and Gorewada, leading to over-speeding and a concerning number of accidents. He also highlighted the section from Katol Toll Plaza to Gorewada Square, where there is no divider, as well as the areas where dividers are present but extend for long distances without gaps, forcing commuters to drive for a longer stretch before finding a turn. Due to this commuters often resort to drive on the wrong side of the road.
Between 2019 and November 2022, there were around 247 road accidents reported under the jurisdiction of Gittikhadan Police Station. Out of these, 65 cases involved serious injuries, and 42 resulted in fatalities, Adv Badana added. Further, the lawyer also pointed out that since Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) is sanctioning many residential schemes around this locality, there has been an increased number of vehicular traffic and it will continue to rise. The old rules and strategies for traffic and road management are not as effective in addressing the current situation,” he remarked. The residents here call for stricter rules and continuous monitoring for such activities, and hope for orderly streets in the future.