Hawker hazard irks Secunderabad commuters

SECUNDERABAD

: Dug-up roads or civic works alone are not responsible for traffic chaos on city roads. Adding to the mess are hawkers and vendors. Take for instance Patny Centre, Paradise Circle, Parklane, Monda market and

Sindhi Colony

. Snarls in these places, especially during peak hours, is courtesy vendors and hawkers encroaching the busy corridors.

This is corroborated by commuters travelling on the busy

General Bazaar

road. “Both sides of the road are congested with vehicles, due to hawkers who occupy the footpath. Pedestrians are forced to use the roads thus leaving little space for motorists. I struggle for 30-45 minutes in reaching Paradise crossing from

Ranigunj

,” said Arun Gupta, a businessman with a shop in Ranigunj. Locals add every evening, streets around Parklane transform into makeshift eateries with vendors parking their carts and mobile vans.

Anusha Rao

, a resident of Sindhi Colony, said, “One cannot think of taking out his/her vehicle in the evening because you never know when you will get stuck in the jam.”

But traffic personnel maintain that they have been successful in addressing the issue.LS Chauhan, deputy commission of police (Traffic I), said, “We have been managing traffic in Secunderabad junction. We ensure that hawkers do not trespass these thoroughfares during rush hours.”