Chikhli Traffic Chaos: R&B Department’s ‘Foolish’ Move Traps City in Gridlock, Sparking Public Outrage
The town of Chikhli in the Navsari district is currently in the grip of a severe administrative breakdown. A bizarre and clumsy decision by the local administration has turned the daily lives of the common people upside down.
The Chikhli Traffic Chaos currently witnessed on the streets is being termed by locals as a classic example of “Akkal nu Pradarshan” (a display of a lack of common sense) by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department. Under the guise of development work, the department has imposed severe hardships on the citizens.
For a concrete road construction project taking place near College Circle, officials have inexplicably closed the road a full half-kilometer away at Bagladevi Circle. This “Tughlaqi” (arbitrary) decision has resulted in long queues of vehicles on major roads, leaving commuters trapped and furious at the sheer lack of planning.
The Illogical Closure: Work at College Circle, Blockade at Bagladevi
The epicenter of this mismanagement lies on the Vansda Road, considered the heart of Chikhli. The R&B Department has undertaken the task of constructing a sturdy Cement Concrete (CC) road near College Circle. While infrastructure development is necessary, the method of execution has baffled everyone.
Standard operating procedure dictates that traffic diversions should be created as close to the construction site as possible to minimize disruption. However, in a move that defies logic, officials have closed one side of the road starting way back at Bagladevi Circle.
This decision has rendered a 500-meter stretch of road useless for traffic, creating a bottleneck that was entirely avoidable. Commuters are asking a simple question: If the machinery and work are at College Circle, what is the logic behind blocking the road from Bagladevi Circle? This gap between the work site and the diversion point is the primary cause of the current gridlock.
A Vital Corridor Choked by Negligence
The impact of this Chikhli Traffic Chaos is severe because the affected stretch is not just any road; it is a lifeline for the town. The corridor stretching from the Highway Four Roads to College Circle is densely packed with essential services.
This area houses numerous government and private Hospitals, several major educational institutions, and the S.T. Bus Stand. Furthermore, this is the main arterial road connecting Chikhli to the twin city of Bilimora. Consequently, thousands of vehicles, including buses, cars, and two-wheelers, traverse this route day and night.
By blocking a key entry point so far from the construction site, the R&B Department has effectively held the town’s mobility hostage. The smooth flow of traffic has been replaced by a bumper-to-bumper nightmare.
Ambulances and Students in Distress
The human cost of this administrative blunder is high. Due to the haphazard decision-making, emergency vehicles are struggling to navigate the gridlock. There have been reports of ambulances getting stuck in the snarls, putting the lives of critical patients at risk.
Similarly, the student community is bearing the brunt of this mismanagement. With schools and colleges lining this route, students are finding it incredibly difficult to reach their institutions on time.
The working class is equally affected, facing long delays in their daily commute. The situation on the ground is suffocating, with citizens forced to endure dust, vehicle exhaust fumes, and the deafening noise of honking horns, all while the officials responsible seem unmoved by their plight.
Ignoring Better Alternatives: The Circuit House Option
Local experts and alert citizens argue that this Chikhli Traffic Chaos was entirely preventable. They point out that a much more logical alternative for the diversion exists, which the officials conveniently ignored.
Instead of closing the road at the narrow Bagladevi Circle, the R&B Department could have implemented the closure near the Circuit House junction.
The rationale is clear: The road near the Circuit House is significantly wider, offering ample space for large vehicles to turn without blocking traffic. Moreover, the Circuit House junction offers excellent Connectivity. It provides direct access routes through Thala village towards the highway and, on the opposite side, through Khundh village towards the Khergam road.
By choosing Bagladevi Circle over the Circuit House junction, the officials have exposed their lack of foresight and planning skills. This failure to utilize available infrastructure efficiently has led to the current mess.
Heavy Vehicles Violate Notification with Impunity
Adding fuel to the fire is the unchecked movement of heavy vehicles. While the road is closed for the general public’s convenience, commercial heavy vehicles seem to have a free pass to cause mayhem.
To manage the traffic during construction, the District Collector had issued a formal notification. According to this order, heavy vehicles were supposed to be diverted from the Alipoor Vasudhara Dairy Highway Overbridge to avoid the town center.
However, the reality on the ground is a stark violation of this order. Trucks, tankers, and other heavy commercial vehicles are openly flouting the rules, entering directly from College Circle into the Chikhli market area.
The Police and the RTO appear to be ineffective in enforcing the ban. When these massive vehicles enter the already narrowed and diverted roads, the Chikhli Traffic Chaos multiplies, endangering the lives of pedestrians and two-wheeler riders who are squeezed to the margins.
“Work is On”: The Official’s Dismissive Response
When the media and the public sought answers regarding this mismanagement, the response from the administration was disheartening. Bharatbhai Patel, the Deputy Executive Engineer of the Chikhli R&B Department, offered a brief and arguably dismissive defense.
He stated, “Since concrete work is currently underway near College Circle, one side of the road has been closed near Bagladevi Circle.”
This “lame excuse” failed to address why the road was closed so far away from the site or why the Circuit House alternative was not chosen. The statement reflects a lack of empathy for the suffering citizens. The attitude seems to be that the public must suffer silently in the name of development.
As the dust swirls and tempers rise, the people of Chikhli are losing patience. Unless the administration rectifies this “display of foolishness” and implements a logical traffic management plan immediately, the public outrage is likely to spill onto the streets.
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