Ranchi: Illegal parking continues to choke traffic at several key intersections across the city, shrinking carriageways and forcing commuters to negotiate daily bottlenecks.Kantatoli Chowk, Lalpur Chowk, Dangratoli Chowk, Kutchery Chowk and Albert Ekka Chowk are among the worst-hit locations, where vehicles, particularly e-rickshaws, are routinely parked along roads and close to junctions. During peak hours, queues often stretch for several hundred metres as motorists struggle to squeeze through the narrowed stretches.Roadside food carts, vendor encroachments and commercial activity further aggravate the problem. With footpaths occupied and road space eaten up by haphazard parking, pedestrians are often compelled to walk amid moving traffic, increasing safety risks.Commuters said congestion worsens during office hours and evenings, when traffic and commercial activity peak. They alleged that unauthorised parking quickly returns after periodic enforcement drives, resulting in recurring snarls.Residents also questioned the effectiveness of enforcement, pointing out that parked vehicles and e-rickshaw clusters remain a regular sight even where traffic personnel are deployed during the busiest periods.“Lalpur and Kantatoli intersections remain choked throughout the day. Large numbers of e-rickshaws are parked at both places, making commuting difficult. Even traffic personnel deployed there fail to regulate the flow,” commuter Dinesh Kumar said.A traffic policeman posted at Kantatoli Chowk said parking was prohibited within 50 m of any intersection. “Despite the restriction, people park their vehicles near the junction. We remove them and issue fines for unauthorised parking, which violators have to pay in court,” he said.SP (traffic) Rakesh Singh said police were imposing heavy penalties to deter roadside parking. According to him, around 25,000 vehicles were fined for wrong parking in April and May. The monthly figure doubled in June and July, with fines imposed on nearly 50,000 vehicles in each month.“Violators are being sent to court to pay the fines so that they learn a lesson and traffic congestion can be reduced,” Singh said, adding that enforcement would continue at all congestion points.
