People from all walks of life poured into the National College grounds from the morning. Anticipating huge crowds, police had made elaborate arrangements like traffic diversions and alighting and parking spaces. But their efforts failed as the programme began.
Places like Home School, D M Junction, Ramakrishna Ashram, Makkala Koota Circle, Armugam Circle, Sajjan Rao Circle and South End Circle were clogged with vehicles, affecting flow of traffic up to the Corporation Circle.
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded at various locations. Service Road, K R Road, Mahila Mandali Circle, B P Wadia Road, Gandhi Bazaar Circle and Ashram Road were the worst affected. Processions taken out by various Kannada organisations added to the chaos.
People had to face a lot of hardship to reach the parking lots, especially the one near Uttaradi Mutt close to the venue.
Commuters had to park their vehicles away from the venue and walk a long distance to take part in the meet. Bus services too were badly hit. Some buses were stranded for hours, resulting in heavy traffic congestion.
The situation returned to normal by 3 pm. Though vehicles moved at a slow pace after the inauguration, it did not cause any gridlock. Traffic went haywire all along the procession route, even as the police had deployed additional forces at all junctions to monitor the traffic flow.