Flyover work forces traffic inside colony

NEW DELHI: What happens when your colony road remains open during the day? It becomes a main road for commercial and private vehicles that thunder down your street, unmindful of traffic rules and regulations.
At least that is what appears to have taken place on a colony road in Janakpuri which residents described as a ‘highway to hell’ . When TOI visited the spot, Tata 407 vehicles, school buses and call-centre cabs could be seen using the colony road as a shortcut to reach Rajouri Garden and other parts of west Delhi from Pankha Road.Traffic including small trucks and even fuel tankers pass through the colony road with no one to stop them.
The yet-to-be constructed Pankha Road Dabri flyover projecthasaddedtoresidents’ woes who claimed that since the flyover construction had begun several years ago, traffic situation in front of their colony had gotten worse, tempting people to use their colony road as a shortcut instead of the parallel commercial roads on either side of the colony.
The colony gate located on Pankha Road, meant for residents of C1, C1-A and C2 blocks of Janakpuri, has become ideal for residents of Dwarka and Gurgaon to pass through to Tilak Nagar, Hari Nagar and other parts of west Delhi. Yet, no one seems to be listening to the woes of the residents living alongside the colony road.
‘‘ My colony road is a highway ,’’ claimed resident Sunny Gill. ‘‘ Bluelines and DTC buses use this road whenever there is a jam in other parts. It is a common sight to even see trucks pass through this road. We are virtually caged inside our homes. There is so much noise and pollution due to this traffic that several senior citizens in the area are facing severe health problems. People can’t sleep or remain at peace inside their homes because of the constant honking and traffic noise. With no one listening to us, we are helpless,’’ added Gill.
Meanwhile, Janakpuri Residents’ Welfare Association claimed ignorance. ‘‘ We are not clear whether general traffic can move through the road. If the traffic officials tell us that the colony road is not meant for general traffic, we will post a guard there after conferring with the two other RWAs who share the gate,’’ explained S K Chaudhry, president of Janakpuri C-2 RWA. Traffic officials stressed that no commercial vehicles are allowed to ply inside colony roads.
‘‘ Our traffic personnel are investigating the matter and if we find commercial vehicles entering the colony to move to other parts of west Delhi, drivers will be prosecuted . Violation of a no-entry restriction is a non-compoundable offence with Rs 2,000 as fine. Once people are aware and do not pass through the colony, the situation should improve,’’ assured joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.