When we talk about traffic jam, haphazardly parked vehicles and unnecessary honking, the first image comes to mind is Itwari market area. Itwari, which is infamous for its traffic jam and crowded streets since decades, still looks the same, with the traffic issues deteriorating even further. Marwadi Chowk area near Dahi Bazar is the worst affected location where traffic jams are a common spectacle. When the Itwari Flyover was being constructed, everyone including the administration thought that it would reduce the traffic issue in the locality as vehicles heading from Machhli Bazar Chowk and Kirana Oli and travelling towards Itwari Railway Station or Dahi Bazar will not get stuck in the traffic jam. However, the struggle for commuters remained the same even after construction of the flyover and the round-about at Marwadi Chowk.

 

 

The area is one of the well-known and old marketplace of the city having many retail stores, religious buildings, restaurants, pan shops and eateries. Every single day during peak hours, the stretch of road between Machhli Bazar Chowk and Marwadi Chowk is packed to the rafters with vehicular traffic. Due to it being market area and Itwari Railway Station in the vicinity, the movement of heavy vehicles especially trucks is also a major issue. The road is lined with many shops whose visitors park their two or four-wheelers infront of the shops which further narrows the motorable space due to the illegal double parking. No doubt the number of vehicles plying on road has increased manifold. However, the corresponding and necessary facilities were not built by the civic body. Overlooked and neglected for years, the Itwari area now gives an impression that everyone has gotten habitual of traffic jam and crowded streets.

 

Managing traffic jam is not just the responsibility of traffic authorities but also of citizens and commuters, who need to be disciplined and follow the rules of traffic. “I have my shop here for more than three decades now. Traffic jam is a common view for us and we have been experiencing it from the beginning,” Rajesh Telrandhe, a shop owner in Marwadi Chowk told ‘The Hitavada’. “The shop owners association of Kirana Oli raised the traffic and parking issues with the Police Department and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) many times but no concrete action has been taken place so far,” said Telrandhe. Aniket Rajendra Phule, another shop owner of the area said, “Traffic is a big issue for us in the market place. We do not get space some times to park our own vehicle near our shops. Due to the round-about, everyone wants to go first, due to which the traffic jam takes place every day.”

 

The stretch between Maskasath and Dahi Bazaar Square, one of the oldest and busiest markets of the region, often turns nightmarish even for the local traders. Everyday, they find it difficult to transport the goods due to haphazard parking of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and e-rickshaws on both the sides of the narrow road. Shiv Pratap Singh, President of the Nagpur Itwari Kirana Merchants Association, said that the traffic jam is a cause of big concern for the traders who are losing business because of it. “Traffic jam is at its peak every day between 5 pm and 8 pm when the traders start supplying material to their customers. It takes 25-30 minutes for the vehicles to cover this small distance of less than 500 meters. Further, the customers also shy away from visiting our shops during these hours,” he said, highlighting the need for traffic police to control the traffic movement. Citizens are repeatedly urging the authorities to be proactive in addressing these civic issues. Meanwhile, both authorities and citizens alike wear the cape of responsibility as one can enforce the rules and the other should follow it for a better a city.