The road that connects GT Road on one end and Bally level crossing on another is called Goswamipara Road. It is an important link road between Bally municipal area and the outlying rural area. Bally Bazaar, the main market in the Bally municipal area, is located on this road. However, encroachment on both sides of Goswamipara Road has turned it into a nightmare. During busy morning hours, it is difficult to drive along this road as bikes, rickshaws, totos and bicycles are parked on both sides of the road making it impossible for cars to move.
“There is no cycle or bike stand in Bally Bazaar. So the bikes and cycles are all parked on both sides of the road. So are a large number of rickshaws and totos. The roadside shopkeepers and grocers, as well as those who have stalls inside the supermarket in Bally Bazaar, suffer because of the mess,” said Narayan Chandra Koley, secretary, Bally Super Market Byabsayee Samity. He said that trucks carrying potatoes cannot be parked on the road during the day. “We have asked the suppliers to deliver potatoes late at night. But the trucks carrying chicken mostly come in the morning and then there is mayhem near the market,” said Koley.
The shopkeepers inside the market said that the narrow road and illegal parking was hampering their business. “People prefer to go to Ghoshpara Bazaar instead of Bally Bazaar because of the parking problem. Ghoshpara Bazaar has a big parking area,” said Adhir Das, a grocer. He said that illegal parking of rickshaws near Bally Bazaar was inconveniencing people.
“Once a section of political party leaders encouraged the rickshaw-pullers to park their rickshaws near the market. At that time, more than 25 rickshaws were parked at a time. However, now, the Bally Municipality has banned parking rickshaws near the market. But some rickshaw-pullers still park their rickshaws near the market,” he said. He added that the shopkeepers of the Bally supermarket tried to find parking space for their customers, but failed. “We earmarked a space for parking in a lane adjacent to the market. But most of the people do not bother to park their bikes or cycles in that space. Instead, they park their two-wheelers on the side, encroaching a part of the road,” said a shopkeeper.
Many were annoyed with the increasing number of totos plying along the road from morning till late night. “A large number of totos are allowed to ply on the road. Sometimes they can be seen parked near the market illegally. There is no use protesting because they will not listen. They have the backing of a section of the ruling party now,” said a shopkeeper, who did not want to be identified. Those who live in Nischinda and own a vehicle, avoid taking Goswamipara Road because of the congestion.
