Traffic mayhem overwhelmed Jalandhar all of Sunday, with cars inching from Pathankot Bypass Chowk to Old GT Road because of lack of management at the makeshift market for firecrackers. The market, established in a state of urgency on a damaged service road off Pathankot Bypass, has turned into a key jam point for commuters. With no proper parking facilities, guests parked along the sides of the highway, leaving hardly any room for traffic to pass. What normally takes 5–7 minutes from Pathankot Bypass to Lumma Pind Chowk took more than half an hour for most drivers.
Long lines of cars could be observed throughout the day from PAP Chowk to Maksudan and Lumma Pind to Surya Enclave. To add to the woes, traffic that normally passes through the bypass spilled into the city, clogging major highways like Old GT Road, Tanda Road, and Railway Road. The traffic jam stretched all the way from Domoria Chowk to Doaba Chowk.
According to local entrepreneurs, the administrative delay in deciding the site of the cracker market was the cause of this mayhem. The latest site was cleared just a few days ago, after weeks of hesitation on the part of the police and city authorities over possible sites like Beant Singh Park and Chara Mandi at Lamma Pind. The tardy clearance left no time to correct basic issues like parking lots, illumination, or access routes.
The market itself is set up on rough terrain covered with dust and broken surfaces, which is difficult for two-wheelers as well as pedestrians. Fire tenders and police were present on the spot, but their job was relegated to the background with the huge crowd purchasing crackers late into the night. The absence of streetlights made matters worse and made the area unsafe to drive after sunset.
Locals blamed the administration for not making proper plans despite the fact that huge crowds go to the firecracker market annually prior to Diwali. Residents proposed that parking could have been made at Transport Nagar and then people could have been asked to walk over to the stalls. Instead, cars were permitted onto the same broken lane where the market is located, and severe congestion was caused.
Celebratory enthusiasm drew thousands of families, but traffic hell frustrated them. In advance of Diwali, which is only days away, and the same level of traffic expected today, commuters have been warned against using the Pathankot Bypass road or diverting to alternative routes. Social media clips show bumper-to-bumper traffic and chaos surrounding Pathankot Chowk, which officials now promise to examine for the sake of crowd management in the future.
