Entry of trucks in the congested main streets during daytime despite a ban is hampering free movement of smaller vehicles in the town.
The Transport Department has restricted movement of trucks within the city limits from 6 a.m to 8 p.m., with some relaxation from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Although the enforcement of the ban has improved in the last two years, trucks continue to enter the main business centres on Rangapillai Street, Vellala Street, Vysial Street, Mission Street and Chetty Street causing hardship to residents.
The entry of heavy vehicles during the ban hours was more common on Rangapillai Street, which houses the main vegetable and grocery wholesale dealers. On any given time of the day, there would be trucks parked on the stretch from Mission Street cutting to Anna Salai junction on the Rangapillai Street. A similar situation, though on a minor scale, prevails on the other streets where dealership outlets selling glass items, carpentry and tiles are located.
“Commuting on Rangapillai Street and to an extent on Vellala Street is the most difficult task because of entry of trucks. The problem is that once you enter from Mission Street side you cannot reverse back if there is a snarl. You have to wait till the truck moves out of the area after unloading the goods,” said Biju Chandran, a resident of Gorimedu.
The ban should be enforced strictly during peak hours, he said and added that trucks that enter the streets at night should be asked to leave at least by 7 a.m. and no vehicle should be allowed till 10 a.m
S. Illango, a resident of Vaithikuppam, said slowly the problem has got extended to Chetty Street and Vysial Street. “If there is a ban, it should be completely enforced. There cannot be any partial implementation or half-hearted attempt to enforce it,” he said.
Unloading of goods
Coming out with a different version, Ashok, a truck driver, said, “We can only load our goods in Chennai at night as a similar ban exists there. Even if we start at 2 a.m., we could reach here only by around 6.30 a.m. Sometimes, when we reach here, the Rangapillai Street will be already filled with vehicles. After waiting for four to five hours, we have to unload the goods.”
Echoing the sentiments expressed by the truck driver, leader of Puducherry Traders Federation, M. Sivasankaranm said not just in Chennai, Bengaluru too had put restrictions on entry of trucks. Around 60 trucks come to the town from Chennai and Bengaluru. Some of the heavy vehicles coming from Bengaluru reach here only by noon and the goods had to be unloaded without much delay, he said.
“Vegetables and certain grocery items cannot not be kept in the vehicle for a long time,” he added.
If the Transport Department could give some relaxation from 10 a.m to 1 p.m, the traders could make certain adjustments on loading from the procurement place and unloading here, he said.
Transport Commissioner A.S. Sivakumar told The Hindu that the issue was raised at a recent meeting of the Road Safety Committee. The traffic police were trying their best to enforce the ban with their limitations over deploying staff on the ground. “There has been a big difference in the number of trucks entering the town. It has considerably reduced but our aim is to avoid presence of any heavy vehicle in the main business areas during the day,” he said.
Parking lot needed
One option was to open a small place on the outskirts of town so that trucks coming during the day could be parked there and then unload the goods to mini-lorries. These mini-trucks with a carrying capacity of 700 to 1,000 kg could be allowed with certain restrictions, he said.
The department would discuss with all stakeholders to have a long-standing solution, he added.
