THANE, Nov. 4 -- Fed up of the daily severe traffic jams caused by heavy vehicles along narrow roads, local traders and transporters have demanded that the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) develop a truck terminal on the outskirts of the city, from where goods can be transported to the city in smaller vehicles. Jagdish Tejwani of the Ulhasnagar Vyapari Association said they had been demanding a truck terminal from the UMC since 2013 and had met senior officials multiple times but only received assurances. "These trucks should ideally not enter the city, but since there are no proper parking facilities nearby, they are forced to do so." Ulhasnagar has been a major business hub for decades, supplying garments, grains, furniture, and electronic goods to various parts of the country. "However, frequent changes in the UMC's administrative leadership have stalled the city's overall progress," Tejwani said. "In the past eight months, UMC has seen three commissioners, so every time we have to start from scratch." Narsingh Kamble, a transporter from city, said the drivers of vehicles entering to make deliveries or collect material faced huge problems, as they could not leave their trucks parked on the roads to rest or eat. "Many spend over two days just to complete loading or unloading because there's no proper parking space for multi-axle vehicles," he said. "Most of them work late at night or early in the morning-whenever local policemen allow them entry." Ravi Shinde, secretary of the Kalyan Ulhasnagar Transport Association, supported the demand. "We have requested a dedicated parking area for heavy vehicles and recently met municipal commissioner Manisha Awhale, who assured us that a joint meeting with the town planning and traffic police departments will soon be held to identify open spaces for a dedicated parking lot," he said. "We have suggested a plot near Ambrosia Hotel in Vithalwadi, which seems suitable." Awhale said, "We have scheduled a meeting this week with Vyapari Association, transport associations, and the traffic police to discuss further." According to Shinde, establishing a truck terminal could reduce traffic congestion in Ulhasnagar by nearly 75%. "A terminal would not only streamline movement but also generate revenue for UMC through parking fees and related services." Such a terminal would also provide essential amenities such as mechanic services, toilets, CCTV surveillance and protection from police harassment-issues that currently plague drivers. Chhayaa Dangle, an official from UMC's estate department, however, said she was unaware of any proposal for a truck terminal pending with the civic body. "UMC is aware of the issues faced by transport operators and citizens but we have no funds," she said. "After the implementation of GST, UMC's revenue sources have dwindled considerably. We are struggling to pay staff salaries regularly, and therefore funding a large-scale terminal project is very difficult. While we understand the problems, we currently cannot offer a practical solution." Under Ulhasnagar's 2014 Development Plan, a plot of land near Shahad railway station was reserved for a truck terminal but was later sold to a private developer, as it was found inadequate to set up a truck terminal. "Although the location of the plot was ideal-outside the main city-its size was small and could not have accommodated even 100 trucks at a time," said a civic official, adding that the municipal corporation would have to first identify a plot, acquire it and then also spend to develop it....