Kolhapur: Vehicles carrying sugar cane to factories will have to take detours as the city roads will be out of bounds for them from 6am to 10pm till the crushing season ends, stated an order issued by superintendent of police (SP) Mahendra Pandit on Friday.
With the harvest season beginning, many trucks, tractor-trolleys and bullock carts loaded with sugar cane pass through the city roads on their way to sugar factories around the city. Police said the additional vehicular load cause crowding and snarls and increase chances of accidents on city roads, hence the order to ban entry to busy city roads by the Kolhapur SP.
Among the city roads that will be out of bounds for the cane transporting vehicles are Tararani Chowk to CPR Hospital Chowk, CPR Chowk to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue via Gangavesh towards Rankala, Sambhajinagar to Mirajkar Tikti and then to Dasara Chowk, Koyasco Chowk to Janata Bazar Chowk to Commerce College and Dasara Chowk to Subhash Road to Hockey Stadium, Rankala Tower.
Anil Tanpure, inspector with the city police's traffic branch, said, "Several vehicles carrying sugar cane pass through the city on their way to factories across the district. This not only causes congestion during peak traffic hours in the city, but also increases chances of accidents. To ensure smooth traffic movement and enhance road safety, sugar cane-laden vehicles have been prohibited from entering the city's busy streets. Instead, they are directed to use alternative routes during the daytime. These traffic regulations will remain in effect until the end of the sugar cane season."
He said, "Keeping this in mind, sugar cane-laden vehicles have been prohibited from entering the city's busy streets. The vehicles must use alternate routes during the day. The restriction will remain in place till the season ends."
Police have started implementing the order and warned transporters of action in cases of violation. "Besides, the sugar cane transporters must install reflectors on the rear of the vehicles to ensure that other road users can spot them from a distance. Vehicles found carrying cane beyond the prescribe limits and using loudspeakers will be penalised," Tanpure said.
