Motorcycle parking ban at Raja Bazaar pedestrian street remains unenforced, authorities threaten fines this week.

Raja Bazaar has been converted into a pedestrian‑only street after a recent renovation. The district administration and traffic police have prohibited motorcycle parking at the street’s entry and exit points. To enforce the ban, banners, color boards and panaflex signs have been placed at both entrances and exits. Despite the prohibition, many motorcycles continue to be parked near the barriers on both sides of the street. Police report difficulty in removing the parked motorcycles. Issuing fines often leads to arguments and protests from riders and compels the traffic police to become effectively powerless. The accumulation of motorcycles has started to disrupt the traffic system at nearby Fawara Chowk. Motorcycles parked at the gates belong to hawkers, helpers, and stall holders inside Raja Bazaar. Shopkeepers and helpers say that bringing motorcycles inside the market is prohibited and they do not know where to park them. They describe parking at the gates as a compulsion. Some alley makers claim that the police have turned the lane into a source of income. The traffic police and the Municipal Corporation state that the large number of motorcycles is paralysing the traffic system and causing difficulty for citizens, shoppers, families, and women visiting the area. The central traders' association of Raja Bazaar has been asked to prevent its helpers and stall holders from parking motorcycles at the market’s entry and exit points. The authorities say that starting this week, a Rs2,000 fine will be imposed on each motorcycle that is parked at the gates. Motorcycles situated there could also be impounded and air could be released from their tires.