Ramdaspeth Canal Road from Central Mall has been closed for traffic movement. Yesterday Ramdaspeth Resident Welfare Association met Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. After that, the police department issued an order and temporarily closed Canal Road for traffic.
From August last year, the NMC had shut the traffic on Canal Road from Panchsheel Square to Central Mall after a bridge near University Library washed away. The recent damage to a bridge on Wardha road near Panchasheel square, following heavy rains, has increased vehicle movement in the lanes of Ramdaspeth.
The road connecting Maharajbagh to Ramdaspeth has been closed since last one year as the NMC is constructing a new bridge on Nag river near University Library square. Since the contractor has extended excavation for the new bridge, the civic body has issued an order to close the canal road from Panchasheel Square to Central Mall Square. This move has resulted in frequent traffic jams in Ramdaspeth area as the traffic closure order was never implemented. Heavy traffic passes through narrow lanes causing traffic jams and endangering life of citizens.
The traffic intensity has further increased manifold due to the collapse of the bridge between Rani Jhansi Square and Panchasheel square. Though the DCP traffic office had issued a notification on diversion of traffic to Lokmat Square and Kachipura square till completion of the bridge, neither barricades nor diversion boards have been installed. Therefore, motorists take the shortest route through lanes of Ramdaspeth, The progress in construction of the two bridges is very slow, therefore the NMC will take a long time to complete them.
The Ramdaspeth Residents Welfare Association urged the municipal commissioner to restrict heavy traffic in narrow lanes because many old buildings in Ramdaspeth are being demolished and replaced with high-rise buildings, thus resulting in air and noise pollution caused by movement of sand-laden trucks, ballast, construction demolition waste, ready mix concrete passing day and night. Unchecked waste material collectors and roadside scrap traders only disturb the peaceful bylanes of Ramdaspeth.