Traffic, debris and poor lighting trouble Canal Road residents

Dehradun: Heavy traffic, poor street lighting and unchecked construction activity continue to trouble residents along Canal Road in Dehradun, with many saying congestion, dust and roadside debris have worsened over the years.Saurabh Negi, a shopkeeper in the area, said growing commercial activity around IT Park has increased vehicular movement on the stretch. “The roads are not wide enough, and the stretch functions almost like a single-lane route. There is also too much construction in the area. There is always some or the other digging work going on, so it remains dusty all the time,” Negi said.Residents said debris dumped along roadsides has become another major concern. “Vehicles can skid because of the lying debris. It needs to be cleared on time or else it gets scattered,” a resident of Saket Colony said.Another resident, Yesh Veer Arya of Surbhi Enclave, pointed to the lack of streetlights on nearly a 2km stretch of the road. He also raised concerns over encroachments. “Footpaths have been encroached upon by fruit and vegetable vendors. Drains too have debris inside them because of rampant construction activity in the area,” Arya said. He added that diversion of vehicles from Rajpur Road towards Canal Road during evening hours further worsens congestion.Residents also flagged sanitation concerns inside residential colonies. “Garbage kept outside homes is sometimes scattered by stray animals despite garbage collection vehicles coming regularly. We need to be alert to avoid this,” another resident said.Ward 8 councillor Bhupendra Singh said action has repeatedly been taken against illegal vendors. “We recently fined some illegal fish and meat vendors in the area,” he said, adding that fines ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 were imposed frequently, but with limited impact.On construction debris, Singh said the public works division overseeing projects in the area should ensure waste is not left on roads or dumped inside drains.“The issue of non-functional streetlights had been flagged earlier this week to light inspector Ranjeet Rana and would be addressed soon,” the councillor said.