Ahmedabad: Traders in the Hatkeshwar area observed a complete bandh today, protesting against the continued delay in demolishing the remaining two spans of the controversial Hatkeshwar overbridge.

All shops in the locality remained closed as traders expressed anger over daily traffic congestion, inconvenience to commuters, and dust pollution caused by the ongoing demolition work. Shopkeepers said the situation has become unbearable as the work has been progressing at a slow pace for the past several months.

According to local traders, demolition of the Hatkeshwar bridge has been underway for more than six months, but the remaining portion has not yet been removed, causing heavy traffic jams and affecting business activities in the area. They said the prolonged work has resulted in loss of customers and health problems due to continuous dust and poor road conditions.

Traders also alleged that proper barricading and dust control measures were not in place at the demolition site. They claimed that no regular water sprinkling was being carried out, due to which dust was spreading into nearby shops and residential areas, affecting both shopkeepers and residents.

Protesting traders warned that if the work is not completed soon, they will intensify their agitation and the issue will also affect the upcoming local elections.

Local shopkeepers said the bandh was called to draw the attention of the municipal corporation administration and demanded that the demolition work be completed at the earliest so that traffic movement can return to normal and business activities can resume without disruption. DeshGujarat