Inadequate parking space, narrow and congested roads, absence of a sub-way or foot-overbridge to connect popular mall, Great India Place are some of the problems that plague the traders as well as the visitors who crowd Sector 18 market in Noida. Though the market is now connected with the metro rail, its civic facilities are crumbling and needs immediate attention. But, as usual, the civic bodies seem least bothered.

It was with a view to put pressure on the civic bodies that the Sector 18 Traders' Association met here last Saturday and decided to carryout a signature campaign. Their petition with signatures of these traders have been forwarded to senior district officials.

“Senior district officials refer the Sector 18 market as Noida's answer to Delhi's Connaught Place but don't bother about its crumbling infrastructure", lamented Kidar Bansal, president of the traders' association.

The association claims that it has been carrying out minor repair work in the market and maintaining sewer lines but problems like parking, widening of the road and building foot-overbridge can only be fixed by the civic bodies.

"Parking is really one of the major problems here. Sometimes I have driven around the market without finding a parking space for a quite a long time," said Ankur Mathur, a regular to the market.

The petition prepared by the traders lists several other problems that including relocating transformers in front of the showrooms and shops and in middle of the roads and erecting central verges to segregate traffic.