Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Dazzling lights, haphazardly parked four-wheelers and two-wheelers on the roads, ear-splitting music, cutting birthday cakes right on the streets in the name of celebrations, and the thrill of high-speed bikes ridden in ‘doom’ style, this scene is being witnessed every day in the city’s Connaught Place area. A ground report by the newspaper has revealed the reality that this area, considered one of the city’s most prestigious localities, is now turning into a hub of undisciplined youth.
Stopping traffic to cut birthday cakes on the road and performing stunts on bikes have significantly increased the risk of accidents. Some local businessmen, speaking on condition of anonymity, questioned whether the administration would wake up only after a serious mishap occurs. Notably, amid all this chaos, police patrolling vans are hardly ever seen. With no security arrangements even after 8 pm, reckless vehicle riders are roaming freely.
Tea and Cigarettes
Connaught Place and youth have almost become synonymous. From Chinese food to momos, Marathi meals, and South Indian cuisine, the wide variety of food attracts crowds of food lovers throughout the day. However, groups of youngsters standing around everywhere and cigarette smoke visible all around despite a strict ban on smoking in public places are common sights. Many prefer having tea and cigarettes together. This causes inconvenience to small children and women visiting the area.
Breakdown of public discipline
Parking has always been a problem in this area. An odd-even parking system was introduced to address it, but it is being completely ignored. Two-wheelers are parked up to half the road, and four-wheelers are parked right in the middle of the road, slowing down traffic movement. Patrol vehicles such as the Damini squad, deployed for women’s safety, or other police patrols are not seen in this area.