Annoyed by the traffic nuisance around their residential area, a foot high iron barricade has been installed by the residents of Shiv Park Colony, behind Durga Nursery Road. This barrier has blocked all vehicles from entering or passing through the narrow lane of Shiv Park’s ‘C’ Road from one side.

Though such blockades are illegal, the administration has remained unaware about it, keeping the barrier installed 8 days ago, intact.

The road to Shiv Park connects MB College road and Durga Nursery Road; it was often used as a short cut by heavy vehicles, teenage bikers and anti social elements to evade from police checking at Sikh Colony. This causes problems to the residents of ‘C’ colony.

Advocate Sanjay Nagori, one of the residents says, “We took this step after encountering a number of problems, two kids of this colony have been injured after being hit by rashly driven motorcycles of college students; heavy and loaded vehicles pass through this road and many a times they knock down our parked vehicles; our vehicles have also become victims of anti- social people who throw stones and damage our cars.”

When asked why they did not complain to the police or authorities, Sanjay said that they have complained many times and Police also started patrolling the area but it was not so effective. “Police can’t be there every time”, said another resident. So true, as when the patrolling is going on, nobody will effect a passage through that area.

The area councilor, Premsingh Shaktawat told UT that though the residents didn’t have any permission to install the barricades they were continuously facing problems due to day by day mounting traffic.

Shishirkant Varshivey, Executive Engineer at Udaipur Municipal Council said that in whatever the condition, placing such blockades on road is prohibited and not only this, it is also illegal to place a gate outside the colony.

Although the laws are reformed, changed and implemented, only for wellbeing of people, there must be a loophole which compels the commoners to take such firm steps even if it is prohibiting the regulation.

The problem of Shiv Park Colony is not theirs alone, it is the same with Subhash Nagar, Dore Nagar, Ashwini Bazar, Shanti Nagar, Keshav Nagar, etc. Heavy vehicles, rash driving and commercialization of residential colonies are blemishing the life of residents.

UT had also covered an incident on car smashing at one of the colonies in Udaipur, and this is also due to anti-social elements easily entering residential colonies.

Report by Sayeed Ahmed