Police sweat it out to maintain order on busy North Mada Street, market for kolu dolls

North Mada Street is chaotic and maddening this weekend as shoppers descend here to shop for kolu dolls from hawkers who have set up stalls from one the Indian bank end to the Mangollai end.

Local police work over time; the men on patrol screaming into their audio systems, those on foot shouting at pushy hawkers and errant drivers and a van doing the rounds to ‘lift’ cars parked for long in the area and challan the drivers.

Hawkers say police have been asking them to use only the pavement space to set up shop; but they keep eating into the road space. Hawkers are also dumping packing waste and messing up the area.

Though one-way traffic is being maintained, the big cars and autos clog the road.

Shopping is not a great experience unless you are here by 4 p.m.

Perhaps, barring vehicles for a few hours on this street will help create a better shopping experience, if only for a weekend.