Soon, autorickshaws will not be allowed to halt anywhere on the road to pick or drop their commuters in the Union Territory (UT). As a pilot project, the Chandigarh Administration is all set to make designated points at the Madhya Marg where the autos shall be allowed to halt to pick and drop people. The route at which this new project shall be implemented first will be from Transport chowk to PGI chowk. The engineering wing of the UT administration has even floated a tender in this regard. The administration’s chief engineer CB Ojha told The Indian Express that this pilot project will initiate on the Madhya Marg. Madhya Marg is the main traffic artery of the city as it sees heavy flow of vehicles, making it a first choice for this pilot project. There are over 10,000 autos plying on the city roads and to streamline those coming from Punjab and Haryana becomes a problem. Officials of the UT engineering department have several times in the road safety committee’s meeting raised the issue of auto rickshaws halting anywhere to pick and drop people, often leading to serious accidents. “On a pilot basis, we have thought of making designated points on the Madhya Marg. Only at these places, the autos shall be allowed to halt to pick or drop the commuters. There had been reports of many accidents because of the sudden halting of the auto rickshaws. There will be 12 designated points in this area alone,” Ojha said. He further said if this project becomes successful here, then it shall be deployed in other areas too. The administration’s officials said that once the designated points are made, the State Transport Authority has also been directed to challan the autos if they do not halt at these earmarked places only to pick or drop the commuters. The tender by the engineering wing said that the work ought to be completed in two months. Funds of about Rs 13.15 lakh are being spent on the same. Had also introduced lay-bys for buses Earlier, in a similar move for the halting of buses, the Chandigarh Administration had at some areas introduced lay-bys — at the side of a road where vehicles can stop for a brief period — on the pattern of cities abroad. It was again in one of the road safety committee’s meetings that the transport department had suggested that the lay-bys be carved out near bus-queue shelters on major roads, depending upon the space available. Once the lay-bys are marked on the roads, the buses can halt there. Anywhere else on the road, if the buses stop, they shall be challaned, it was decided. Officials stated that the major problem is witnessed on Dakshin Marg, particularly on the stretch towards Zirakpur. Buses and auto rickshaws stop near Sector 35 roundabout, which is otherwise not a designated spot for them, causing a bottleneck, especially during peak traffic hours. At the housing board point, buses and autos stop on the main road, leaving traffic congestion. At some places, it is the traffic police that has earmarked buses and auto-rickshaws to avoid accidents. Conditions for the works According to the engineering wing, the work for the designated pick-and-drop shall be carried out as per Central Public Works Department specifications/Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH). The tender also said that the material used should be best quality/grade and the sample for the same should be approved from the engineer incharge and that the administration holds the right to accept or reject any or all the tender without assigning any reason. “The conditional tender/tenders without earnest money shall be rejected at any stage. The quantities taken above are tentative, these can be increased or decreased as per working architectural/structural drawings or as per instructions of the engineer incharge. The agency shall be bound to execute the work accordingly,” the tender mentioned in its terms and conditions. The engineering wing stated that there shall be any price rise in the market at any stage then no claim would be entertained in-lien of that. Also, the recovery of old dismantled reusable material, if any, shall be made from the contractor as per actual quantity received at site.
