Wednesday, 10 May 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In view of the increasing traffic jams outside the eateries in Dehradun, the traffic police will soon take action against all such establishments. Traffic congestion is already a prevalent issue in the provisional State capital but it gets worse during the evening and night in areas with several restaurants and cafes, especially during summer when people prefer to go out at night. Areas like Nehru Colony where traffic is usually normal during the day get congested during the night as multiple eateries have opened there in the past two years. “The main road of Nehru Colony is quite wide but the number of vehicles parked outside these eateries starts increasing at 4 PM onwards every day. The situation gets worse on weekends.
There are at least six to eight new eateries that opened in the past three years. Most of these establishments here do not have proper parking arrangements due to which their customers park vehicles on the main road just outside the eatery. The number of vehicles increases to this extent after 6 PM that most of the vehicles occupy considerable space on the road causing traffic congestion,” said a resident of Nehru Colony, Shantanu Bhatt. A senior citizen Ashfaq Khan said that traffic congestion outside eateries and fast food carts has become a nuisance in various parts of the city including Nehru Colony, an area near Gandhi Park, Sahastradhara Chowk and Rajpur Road. He said, “In many locations, eateries have hardly enough space for eight to 10 people so customers just park their vehicles outside and eat there. Many eateries even place small chairs and stools just outside their premises to give extra seating space to customers which also causes traffic issues. Authorities should also ensure that eateries have enough space for customers before giving them approval to operate.”
Talking about the issue, the superintendent of police (Traffic) Akshay Konde told The Pioneer that the police have warned the establishment owners in marketplaces and main parts of the city to ensure traffic congestion must not occur outside their premises due to the customers. However, the police will soon take action against such eateries that cause traffic congestion in the city especially at night, he said.
