Lucknow students raise awareness on issues resulting from encroachment

LUCKNOW: The students of Staford School conducted an anti-encroachment awareness drive on the Dubbagga-Hardoi Road, one of the prominent roads of Lucknow, on Wednesday. The area, a hub of commercial activities with the biggest fruit and vegetables market which attracts district wide producers, becomes choked with traffic every day and even more so during the ongoing ‘mango season’.
Encroachment on this road makes things worse with the arterial road from Balaganj, Dubbagga, Andhe ki Chowki and beyond witnessing at least three traffic jams a day, every day.With several schools, hospitals, medical colleges, and business establishments located in this area, the road majorly transports students, teachers, doctors, ambulances, office goers, and loaded trucks, with a perpetual stream of traffic at all hours of the day.
Students said that this road needs the attention of people and especially the administration which needs to clear the encroachment that is curbing the smooth flow of traffic. The students attempted to spread awareness on this issue by making people realize that encroachment of roads has led to narrowing of the highway, which is otherwise meant to accommodate a fast moving two lane traffic.
They said that encroachments by street-side vendors, or shops that have put up their products on display by the roadside, chokes the traffic making the highway look like a narrow lane. The petty shops and displays that encroach the road also cause a considerable reduction of speed, converting a 5 minute drive into an arduous 20 minute one. The group emphasized that there are a number of schools on this road and students in school vans are often stuck in traffic jams for half an hour or more.
Further, the narrowing of highways adds to safety hazards. It puts to risk the commuters who drive on highway appropriate speeds and suddenly meet obstructions mid-way. Not only the commuters but the vendors who encroach the roads are also at risk of being mowed down by drivers unable to control their vehicles abruptly. It is no surprise then that there is an accident or two each month on this stretch of the road, cautioned the students.
The children used the analogy that encroachment on roads is like a blocked artery which stops the blood supply to the heart and subsequently brings about the paralysis or death of the patient. Likewise encroachment in this area is slowly killing this area, suffocating the life lines, deterring people to approach this area because of the blockages and hence affecting the socio-economic health of this entire region.
These students were on roads drawing attention to the situation holding placards like ‘Please don’t encroach roads, I want to reach my destination on time’, ‘I get late to home and school, follow the anti-encroachment rule’, ‘No encroachment. No accidents’, ‘Steer clear of traffic Jams. Clear the encroachments.’
The children emphaised that all illegal structures need to be cleared which obstruct traffic and hamper the cleanliness efforts too. They said that schools in the city need to create awareness for issues like cleanliness, illegal parking, road safety and smooth flow of traffic on all the roads of the city. Speaking about the anti- encroachment drive, Aisha Alvi, a teacher at Staford School said, “If the city administration makes efforts to remove illegal encroachments so as to give us a clean and congestion free city, the schools and students must do their bit and support this drive and help make roads safe for commuters.”