JOIN USCongress event jams traffic, airport commuters hit
Thousands of commuters in the northern and central parts of the city were stranded for more than three hours as the traffic went haywire due to the Congress rally at the Palace Grounds on Thursday.
The party had organised “Surajya Samavesha” for felicitating Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara for completing six years in office.
Vehicular movement on roads in the vicinity of the Palace Grounds was affected from 9 am as private vehicles ferrying Congress workers started reaching the venue. By 11 am, the situation went out of control with thousands of motorists stranded choking the neighbouring areas also.
There was massive traffic jam on Jayamahal Road, Ramana Maharshi Road, JC Nagar Main Road, Nandidurga Road, Palace Road and Seshadripuram Main Road, while Kumara Krupa Road, Chowdiah Road, C V Raman Road and Kodava Samaja Road were completely choked.
Police said that there was heavy congestion at Basaveshwara Circle, Bhashyam Circle, Jeevaraj Alva Road, Sadashivanagar police station junction, Vasanthnagar, JC Nagar, Mehkri Circle and Yeshwantpur till 4 pm. The situation was no better on Hebbal flyover, at Kuvempu Circle, CNR Circle and Maramma Circle.
Police frequently received calls from the airport-bound passengers for traffic updates on Ballari Road.
There were reports that some passengers missed their flights. Employees and students were late in reaching their offices and schools/colleges respectively. The congestion adversely affected BMTC bus services too.
Radhakrishna, an employee with a private firm, told DH that he had a traumatic experience.
“Many road users were not aware of the event. Police did not inform people about any diversion. Commuters were stranded for more than three hours on Ballari Road,” he said.
HC ban order flouted?
The High Court of Karnataka had ordered a ban on political events at the Palace Grounds in the wake of the JD(S) convention causing a severe traffic jam in 2008.
The city police had been directed not to permit any mega political event at the ground. However, the BBMP horticulture superintendent of west zone gave permission for the Congress event at the Palace Grounds while the police issued a no objection certificate.
Police caught unawares
The traffic police failed to anticipate the cascading effects of a large gathering at the Palace Grounds. They also failed to control the situation as they did not make any diversion. They decided to take instant decisions based on the ground situation.
“Senior officers should have made diversions, identified parking lots and requested the public to avoid certain areas. Proper planning and informing the public on diversion in advance play an important role whenever high-profile events are organised at the Palace Grounds,” a senior officer who earlier headed the Bengaluru traffic wing said.
The traffic police claimed that they used social media platforms and flashed alerts about jams.