With the busy Deepavali shopping frenzy having begun in Madurai, the already-congested Vilakkuthoon junction where the commercial areas of Kamarajar Salai, East Masi Street and South Masi Street meet, has become chaotic as is the case every year.
With haphazard parking, narrow carriageways, absence of good pavements, movement of lorries and other issues, the deployment of traffic police personnel every few hundred metres around this junction to regulate the traffic movement seem to make little difference.
Adding to the woes are the inappropriately placed huge garbage bins by Madurai Corporation in some places on East and South Masi Streets, thereby reducing the carriageway further.“They are almost on the middle of the road. For more than a week, Corporation employees have not cleared these bins as well. Since waste generation from the shops is more during festival season, garbage is strewn around the bins, further reducing space for motorists and pedestrians,” said N. Kathiresan, who transports goods in his tricycle.
A. Murugan, a hawker in South Masi Street, said the recent rains and consequent damage to roads had added to traffic congestion. “Hardly any repair work has been carried out to fix potholes,” he added.
Pointing out that allowing lorries to load and unload goods in Masi streets during daytime increased traffic congestion, Mr. Murugan said lorries should be allowed only at night, at least during the festival seasons. Commissioner of Police Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, on Thursday, has announced restriction of lorries and heavy vehicles from Saturday into the Masi Streets.
It is difficult to regulate the parking of two-wheelers as well owing to a large number of people visiting the shopping areas around the junction. “A permanent solution will be shifting the wholesale markets, commission agents and lorry sheds around Masi streets to different parts of the city,” a police official said.
