• Siddarthanagar Traffic Police restrict farmers, vegetable vendors from encroaching road, footpath
• Loading, unloading only at vacant land abutting Market

Mysore/Mysuru: Finally, the traffic congestion near the Vegetable Market on Mahatma Gandhi (M.G.) Road in the city has been cleared, allowing smooth flow of traffic, with the Police launching a drive against haphazard parking of vehicles from Oct. 5.

This follows a series of articles published in Star of Mysore in the interest of vehicle riders and pedestrians, who were finding it arduous to pass through, amid the chaos and commotion caused during the loading and unloading of vegetables, especially during night and early morning hours, that was more especially during festival seasons.

It is also timely, as Dasara festival is scheduled to start from Oct. 15 and will be celebrated till the grand finale with Jumboo Savari on Oct. 24. As the very stretch of road connects Chamundi Hill and Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo), the popular tourist spots of the city, the tourists are expected to heave a sigh of relief.

What acted as a spur for the Police to act was a recent incident where an ambulance had to take an alternate road, after finding it difficult to make way through the vegetable market stretch of M.G. Road. The vegetable laden goods vehicles of farmers had encroached upon the footpath space stretching up to the road on the either side, with swarming vegetable vendors occupying every bit of the road, trading the farm produces, thus restricting the smooth traffic movement.

The ambulance authorities had orally complained to Siddarthanagar Traffic Police Station in this regard. Acting on this, Inspector Yogesh, launched a drive restricting the haphazard parking of vehicles including those of farmers and vendors alike, while the customers are already allotted a designated parking lot for two-wheelers and four-wheelers respectively.

Initially, farmers and vendors resisted, but had to budge when Inspector Yogesh explained them about the traffic chaos. Moreover, he succeeded in convincing them to fully utilise the vacant place abutting the market, where the goods vehicles are regularly parked to conduct their business of loading and unloading, without disturbing the road users.

Inspector Yogesh has also appealed to Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) authorities to level the uneven land where the goods vehicles are parked next to the market, as it turns slushy during rains.

Recently, Social Welfare and District in-Charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa too had instructed the Police to take measures to ensure smooth flow of traffic on this Road.

Last time, during Dasara an attempt was also made to shift the vegetable vendors to a part of Dasara Exhibition Grounds opposite the market, but in vain.

Now, with the Police succeeding in convincing the farmers and vendors, the stretch of M.G. Road near the market ensures a hassle-free movement, that was also imperative with tourists arriving in the city in hordes for Dasara.