The Tiruchi City Police and the Corporation authorities have joined hands to tackle the issue of encroachments and congestion on the Big Bazaar street – the city’s prominent commercial hot spot.

Dotted with commercial establishments on either side of the entire stretch, the Big Bazaar street also known as ‘Periya Kadai Veedhi’ is always abuzz with trading activity till the late night hours.

Indiscriminate parking of vehicles along the busy stretch and encroachments by some of the shopkeepers makes it difficult for a free ride for motorists coming from the Gandhi Market arch and from the by lanes.

Realising the problem, the law enforcers and the civic body have now come together in a conscious effort to address the twin issues of congestion and encroachments along the Big Bazaar street.

A team of city traffic police personnel led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) S. Prabhakaran along with senior Corporation officials on Saturday asked the shopkeepers to remove the encroachments as early as possible to ease congestion and ensure smooth ride for motorists from the Gandhi Market arch towards the NSB road.

The shopkeepers have been given time for a couple of days to remove the encroachments along the stretch.

The civic body officials would remove encroachments with assistance provided by the police if the traders failed to remove them, said Deputy Commissioner Prabhakaran.

The city police would hold a meeting with the traders on February 21 to insist them to remove encroachments, he said.

The city police have planned one-side parking of two-wheelers along the Periya Kadai veedhi.

The plan is to have parking on one side for the first 15 days and parking on the other side of the stretch on the second half of the month.

Proper paint markings would be done along the street to enable parking of two-wheelers.