NEW DELHI: Unauthorised parking along the roads leading to Kamla Nagar has long been a bane for this popular market located next to the North Campus of Delhi University.
Frequented mostly by the youth, the market is a thriving shopping spot popular among collegegoers for its affordable and trendy clothes. Some major brands have opened showrooms, which also draw people living in nearby areas. The crowds have only grown bigger after the opening of the Vishwa Vidyalaya (Yellow Line) and Pul Bangash (Red Line) metro stations.
But, encroachment and haphazard planning have remained major issues at this commercial neighbourhood in north Delhi. After a stretch of Ajmal Khan Road was marked a pedestrian zone at Karol Bagh, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation began chalking out a similar plan for Kamla Nagar market.
Besides the apparel shops that encroach on the pavements, the Indian and Chinese street food stands cover the space meant for visitors and buyers to walk. There are also popular chain restaurants that draw youths and families alike.
When such a large number of people descend on this commercial neighbourhood on a daily basis, encroachment and unauthorised roadside parking often lead to major congestion and traffic jams, much to the discomfiture of the people.
Surrounded by the DU’s North Campus and the Ridge Forest on the east, Shakti Nagar on the west, Roop Nagar on the north and Malka Ganj on the south, Kamla Nagar was originally planned as a residential colony. Mandelia Park (main roundabout) and Bungalow Road see the most commercial activity. The roundabout has seven radials that branch out to mini radials that are crowded with shops.
“It is very difficult to walk down this lane from Friday to Sunday. There are autos, rickshaws, cars, two-wheelers, parking on the road, and the street shops. Weekend is the time when most of the working class comes for shopping. If the civic body is planning something like on the lines of Ajmal Khan Road, then it is a welcome step. It is a must needed change and for good reasons,” asserts Renu Gupta, who lives in Civil Lines.
However, students mostly prefer taking e-rickshaws and shopping from the street hawkers and stalls. “I don’t have much idea how the market would look if it is made pedestrian only. If the road is blocked for vehicles, then we will have to walk down with bags in our hand. I might not be comfortable with that,” said Shruti Mukherjee, a DU student.
Decongesting market
Right now, the only existing parking zone is the one inside the Spark Mall. For those using public transport, e-rickshaws and rickshaws are available from the Vishwavidyalaya metro station. Mandelia Road is the busiest stretch, and draws huge crowds, of both youngsters and nearby residents. On weekends the market sees huge traffic jams owing to pedestrians, autos, cars and rickshaws.
North civic body commis-sioner Varsha Joshi had earlier told The Morning Standard that a team with representatives from the market association, urban planners, students and members of MCD had begun planning to decongest Kamla Nagar market.
In a meeting last week, the MCD approved a management plan that recommended decongesting the shopping place and increasing on-street parking charges.
An MCD official had said that one of the aims of this plan was to utilise the seven-floor multi-level parking built in 2013, with a capacity to park 800 four-wheelers and 300 two-wheelers. As of now, hardly 40 per cent of the parking zone is utilised.
What traders want
Though the visitors want a decongestion plan to be implemented, shop owners and businessmen have a different opinion. “Delhiites who prefer brands only will always travel in cars… They will not walk even 100 metres. They are used to extreme comfort. Such shoppers and buyers will not turn up if cars are not allowed. It will be a nightmare for traders. Traders at Karol Bagh are already facing problems,” said shop owner Rohit Dhingra.
Some shop owners suggested that instead of earmarking a no-vehicle zone, the MCD should think of alternatives to decongest the place. “The civic body has taken Rs 1 lakh from us as tax. The existing parking plot in the mall is time-consuming. Nobody likes to park vehicles there. So what they should do is remove encroachments, allot proper parking areas, and then think of pedestrianising. But definitely not without any backup,” said shop owner Akhil Khandelwal.
Urban planner AGK Menon has a word of cautio for the stakeholders. “Pedestrianising at certain parts of Delhi is necessary, but that requires proper study. All markets are different, have individual infrastructure and identities. So these need to be studied first and then a move done, else random implementation will lead to more chaos.”