The Trinamool–run civic board of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to ban the movement of goods-carrying and dump trucks in the municipal area from 8am to 9pm, mayor Gautam Deb said here on Tuesday.

“We will not allow any heavy commercial goods vehicle, including trucks and dump trucks, to operate inside the civic area, that is, beyond the state and national highways from 8am to 9pm,” the mayor said after a meeting with officials of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police and the civic body.

The decision, sources said, follows a number of accidents involving heavy vehicles in different locations of the city. In most cases, there had been human casualties.

The most recent such incident happened last Saturday, when a minor boy was mowed down by a dump truck in Rajendranagar, an area in ward 1 of Siliguri.

Mayor Deb visited the home of deceased schoolboy Udit Jha, 13, on Tuesday, met bereaved family members and condoled the boy's death.

“There are instances of accidents due to overspeeding and reckless driving in the city. That is why such a decision has been made. Soon, a formal resolution will be sent to the district administration and the police from the SMC to implement the ban,” the source added.

The mayor also instructed the police to take strict action against reckless driving and vehicles exceeding speed limits.

He also announced an extensive drive along the Eastern Bypass to remove
encroachments.

Later this week, chief minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to reach Siliguri. After her visit, the civic board will hold a high-level meeting with district administration and the police to streamline traffic management in the city.

“We will discuss some proposals like removal of encroachments from major thoroughfares, stricter enforcement of restrictions on heavy vehicles within civic areas and regulation of e-rickshaw movement,” said an SMC official.

“The idea is to chalk out a comprehensive plan for improved traffic management across Siliguri,” he added.