Encroachments spell chaos on Sirhind streets

Encroachments continue to plague Sirhind town causing great inconvenience to people even as the Additional Deputy Commissioner and MC Executive Officer have said no encroachment would be allowed in urban areas and bazaars. Construction activity without the approval of site plans is going on even as NGOs and senior citizens have flagged the issue with the administration.

The encroachments are causing great inconvenience to people, especially those who have to go to Railway Station.

Not just motorists, even pedestrians find it difficult to cross the main bazaar as shopkeepers place their wares in front of shops leaving little space for the smooth flow of traffic.

R.N. Sharma, president of Senior Citizens’ Association, and representatives of various NGOs said it was very difficult for the elderly, women and children, besides customers, to cross the bazaar. The shopkeepers don’t heed to the repeated warnings of the Municipal Council authorities to keep their goods inside the shops. Whenever the council employees come to the market to clear the encroachments, the shopkeepers hurriedly move their goods inside. After the MC staff leave they again place goods in the open.

Alleging that the encroachers were thriving on the patronage of political leaders, they urged the District Administration to immediately take a strict action against the encroachers to ensure the smooth flow of traffic to the Railway Station as sometimes people miss their trains due to congestion in the bazaar.

Meanwhile, ADC (G) and Executive Officer of Municipal Council Sirhind-Fatehgarh Sahib, in a release, have stated that a special campaign had been launched by the district administration and appropriate action would be taken against the encroachers as they create chaos in crowded markets, due to which people have to face a lot of problems.