Dehradun – The Sunday market in Dehradun has been shifted to the ISBT area, and the move has immediately added to traffic pressure in one of the city’s busiest zones. From early Sunday morning, heavy crowds and a surge of vehicles were seen around the MDDA HIG Society plot near ISBT, where the market is now being organised. The area, already struggling with daily congestion, witnessed long traffic jams throughout the day.
As per district administration orders, the Sunday market has been allowed to operate on the land opposite the MDDA HIG Society. The plot was earlier under MDDA control and had been earmarked for nursery development after being leased for the metro rail project. With the start of the market, normal traffic movement on Haridwar Bypass Road and connecting routes was badly affected.
Local residents, especially those living in nearby housing societies, expressed strong objections to the selection of this site. They pointed out that the ISBT stretch remains crowded even on regular days and lacks adequate space to handle an additional weekly market. Many commuters reported delays of over an hour while passing through the area on Sunday.
The shift of the Sunday market to ISBT has raised serious questions about traffic planning and administrative foresight. The market has been placed directly along a national highway stretch, without any visible traffic diversion plan or parking management system. Random roadside parking by visitors further narrowed the carriageway, worsening the congestion.
Residents argue that temporary commercial activities like Sunday markets should be kept away from already overburdened transport corridors. They also warned that the situation may deteriorate further once traffic increases after the full operation of the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, which is expected to push more vehicles toward the ISBT side on weekends.
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With Sundays already seeing higher tourist inflow toward Dehradun and Mussoorie, the combination of expressway traffic and the relocated market could turn ISBT into a permanent bottleneck. Locals have demanded a review of the decision and relocation of the market to a less congested area before weekly traffic disruptions become routine.
