LUCKNOW, Jan. 7 -- Days after severe traffic snarls on New Year's Day triggered sharp criticism of the city's traffic management, senior police officials took it on themselves to enforce rules Lucknow police on Tuesday launched an intensified enforcement and anti-encroachment drive in key congestion-prone areas. DCP (Traffic) Kamlesh Dixit and DCP (East) Shashank Singh were among the senior officials who took part in the drive. "The drive, aimed at restoring order and easing pressure on arterial roads, began at Nishatganj Crossing, where traffic police removed illegal roadside encroachments, penalised violators and introduced trial diversions to regulate the movement of e-rickshaws and auto-rickshaws," said Dixit. Police said footpaths and carriageways clogged by carts, fruit vendors and hawkers were cleared, while shopkeepers were warned against allowing parking in front of their establishments. Vehicles parked in no-parking zones were challaned or seized. Similar action was taken at Polytechnic and Tedhi Pulia crossings. In eastern Lucknow, DCP Singh, along with other senior officers, conducted an on-ground inspection of Kamta crossing on the Ayodhya-Lucknow highway, an area that has witnessed repeated traffic jams in recent weeks. The officials reviewed bottlenecks and directed immediate corrective measures to ensure smoother vehicular flow. As part of a pilot plan at Nishatganj, all e-rickshaws and autos coming from Badshahnagar were diverted towards the Paper Mill flyover, while vehicles approaching from the Paper Mill side were stopped before the crossing and made to take U-turns. E-rickshaws coming from the Gol Market side were also restricted.HTC...