MATHURA TRAFFIC CHAOS

 

Mathura DECEMBER 3, 2014

 

"It's easier to get to moon or mars than to cover the distance from Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan to Dwarkhadheesh mandir at Vishram Ghat in Mathura, a distance of around 12 km. It could take an eternity to cross the encroached busy road from Holi Gate to one of the Yamuna ghats in the evening," said an exasperated local Gopal Das Agarwal, owner of a shop.

 

Hyperbole apart, the chaotic and highly disorganised traffic management regime put in place by the local police has left both the locals rushing to their place of work and hordes of pilgrims in a hurry to get the darshan of the presiding deity of Mathura, Dwarkadheesh.

 

For past few days the whole traffic system has gone haywire because of the civil construction work being done by the railways at two points, one near the bus stand and the other close to Sri Krishn Janam Bhoomi which each day gets thousands of visitors. "Hours are wasted and they have not even bothered to deploy more traffic cops to manage the manage the commuters at Bhuteshwar," said industrialist Murari Gupta, caught in the jam. Police said the railway work has to be taken up on a priority and we are trying our best to manage the flow of traffic without much interruptions, but some inconvenience is unavoidable.

 

"Its not one day but a daily hassle moving within the city or going to Vrindavan, but the district police does not consider it a problem," lamented author activist Dr Ashok Bansal. Managing traffic is not rocket science. They should use common sense and follow the rules of the game. Unfortunately the cops on duty only look for targets to collect extra bucks and allow heavy vehicles in no entry area. They have no policy against encroachers on the roads, Bansal added.

 

Talking to TOI, SP Traffic Ashutosh Dwivedi said "the problem is there. Very soon we will be announcing a new traffic plan which will address all these problems. People also need to cooperate. Civic sense has to be inculcated through constant education. They should wear helmets and follow the traffic rules." Dwivedi said traffic high pressure points had been identified and suitable strategies are being drawn for both Mathura and Vrindavan, and the results will soon show.

 

But the locals however have little faith in the traffic police. Many feel the  traffic week or month, are mere symbolic exercises that deliver no tangible benefits to the people, except filling pockets of traffic cops, says activist of Vrindavan Kunj Bihari Sharma.

 

A darshan of the Bankey Bihari ji or Dwarkadheesh maharaj is the mission of every pilgrim who comes here, but  a nightmare awaits them before they reach the destination in the form of Mathura's seemingly never-ending traffic jams.

Even while the authorities try out new traffic plans to ease the chaos on the roads, the problem persists, with a growing vehicle population now in lakhs and rash driving by careless drivers compounding the crisis. "Mathura is bursting at its seams and with the daily influx of thousands of pilgrims, some days the number goes in lakhs, the free for all traffic scene on the busy roads is a frustrating experience for most," adds Mathura's advocate Girish Chand. 

"A traffic jam on the highway can prove a nightmare for tourists and pilgrims who visit Vrindavan, Mathura or Agra by road from Delhi. Every other day the highway is jammed by one agitation or the other. Once the vehicle finally reaches  it gets caught in an even bigger jam," a bank official Manohar Lal Gidwani told TOI. 


Each time there is VIP movement on the Chatikara road of Vrindavan  there is a jam, says Acharya Jaimini, music maestro. Political rallies, religious and wedding processions, indisciplined driving and frequent road repairs in different parts of the city have left the people fuming with anger.

The traffic police have also worked out plans to introduce one-way traffic and install automatic traffic signals at main crossings, fitted with cameras.

Senior officials have had several rounds of meetings with NGOs and elected representatives on the issue.

"School children returning home and ambulances with patients have been left stranded for hours due to sit-in strikes and protest marches. Why don't they act on the issues? Why don't they stop experimenting with people?" asked activist Shravan Bharti.

According to Madhu Mangal Shukla, a social worker, the road and traffic plans generally ignore pedestrians and cyclists.

"We are planning only for 15 percent people - building roads, fly-overs, expressways and other fancy projects. What about the masses?" an activist Jagan Nath Poddar  asked.