Jaipur: Every Monday evening, a prominent residential stretch in Jaipur turns into a scene of chaos as a growing weekly haat blocks roads, house entrances and internal lanes between Bajaj Nagar Road and Officer’s Enclave on Nehru Garden Road. The locality, home to senior govt employees, civil service officials and even a few state ministers, is facing severe inconvenience as unchecked street vending steadily expands across the area.What began as a small cluster of vendors has now transformed into a sprawling marketplace occupying roads, bylanes and alleys. Residents say the encroachment has reached a point where entering or exiting their own homes becomes a struggle for several hours every Monday.The impact is now visible beyond the affected stretch. People living in adjoining areas have started avoiding the route altogether on Mondays, preferring long detours of around four kilometres rather than getting trapped in the congestion.Residents say the problem goes beyond parking issues. The constant shouting by vendors, heavy footfall of shoppers and congestion on narrow roads have made movement extremely difficult for locals, visitors and even emergency vehicles.A senior govt official posted at the secretariat said he is forced to park his vehicle nearly 700 metres away from his residence every Monday evening because vendors and crowds block access to his garage. “Later at night, after the market disperses, I have to walk back again to retrieve the vehicle and park it properly,” he said.“Later at night, after the market disperses, I have to walk back again to retrieve the vehicle and park it properly,” he said.Local resident Pratik Gandhi said the situation is worsening every week as more vendors occupy even the smaller adjoining lanes and alleys. With customers pouring in from nearby colonies, motorists are forced to navigate through dense crowds and makeshift stalls. Residents fear that if the present trend continues,Despite the area’s high-profile character and its proximity to several VVIP neighbourhoods, the weekly encroachment continues unchecked, effectively converting a residential zone into a bottleneck.Local resident Pratik Gandhi said the situation is worsening every week as more vendors occupy even the smaller adjoining lanes and alleys. With customers pouring in from nearby colonies, motorists are forced to navigate through dense crowds and makeshift stalls. Residents fear that if the present trend continues, it could eventually lead to a major accident.For residents of the locality, however, there is no such option. Every week, they remain stuck with blocked access, noise and mounting frustration in what should have been one of Jaipur’s most orderly residential pockets.
