As the BBMP had made a commitment that the underpass would be ready within 72 hours, commuters halted for sometime to take a look at the work, which was underway.

Traffic came to a standstill on the road towards the Mekhri circle. The convoy of former president APJ Abdul Kalam was also caught for a brief while in the traffic snarl near the Cauvery Theatre on Friday night.

Dr Kalam was on his way to attend a function at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital, Hebbal. The traffic buildup deteriorated further, and the mess was cleared only after 10 pm.

A police officer said, “We are facing several hardships due to the commuters. We cannot become too harsh on the curious commuters, who stop their vehicle to see the work in progress.”

Till late on Friday night, onlookers hovered around the site, even as the workers struggled to complete the digging work. Ground water kept oozing out, affecting the cement work.

Pile-up

To add to this, a BMTC bus and another private bus brushed against each other, triggering a traffic pile-up on Sankey road, and on other streets in the vicinity. Tension mounted as the passengers of the bus alighted, and the drivers refused to go any further.

For twenty minutes, the two drivers stood their ground. That was time enough to generate a traffic jam two kilometres long. This virtual sea of vehicles extended from High Grounds police station to Mekhri Circle. Police had a tough time bringing the situation back to normal.