Sunday market venue may be shifted to Parade Ground

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 11

The police are planning to shift the Sunday flea market from Convent Road to Parade Ground to streamline the traffic situation.

Police officials said shoppers and commuters throng the flea market in large numbers, resulting in traffic jams in other parts of the city, including Clock Tower, Subhash Road, Ashley Hall, Clock Tower, Chakrata road, etc.

The problem of frequent traffic jams could be gauged from the fact that stalls, which were earlier set along Convent Road or in front of the Tibetan Market, extended up to the area opposite CJM Church, Subhash Road, Survey Chowk, and Lansdowne Chowk now, worsening the traffic situation in the city.

The police officials maintained that it became very difficult to handle traffic due to the heavy crowd on Sunday. A different place, they feel, should be allocated for the market to avoid traffic jams along the Parade Ground and on the arterial roads of the city.

BS Bisht, a shopkeeper, pointed out how the number of stalls had increased drastically in the past seven to eight months. The Convent Road was not the correct place for a flea market as it was the centre of the city, he stated.

“Some other place should be allotted for the flea market or vehicles should be strictly banned in this area on Sunday,” Bisht added.

SSP Sadanand Datte said they wanted a talk with the shopkeepers’ association and Dehradun Municipal Corporation officials to shift the market to Parade Ground to overcome the problem of frequent traffic jams. Deployment of additional police force at busy inter-crossings and markets was a regular feature to streamline traffic, which increases manifold, especially during weekends, he added.

Frequent traffic jams to blame

The problem of frequent traffic jams could be gauged from the fact that stalls, which were earlier set along Convent Road or in front of the Tibetan Market, extended up to the area opposite CJM Church, Subhash Road, Survey Chowk, and Lansdowne Chowk now, worsening the traffic situation in the city.