Traffic was affected in most parts of central and west Bengaluru due to the oath-taking ceremony organised by the Youth Congress at the Congress office on Race Course Road on Wednesday.
Traffic was thrown out of gear on Race Course Road towards Anand Rao Circle, behind the Congress office. The road was barricaded from 10 am to 2 pm. Traffic was not allowed from Race Course to Ananda Rao Circle.
Traffic from Ananda Rao Circle towards Majestic was crawling and eventually got choked. Haphazard parking of private tourist vehicles, mini-buses ferrying party workers, cars, autorickshaws and bikes on both sides of the road added to the commuters’ woes.
“Although police permission was sought for the ceremony, the swelling crowds spilled on to the roads and caused traffic congestion at the Gandhi statue near Maurya Hotel,” said a senior police officer. The KEB ground meant for parking in Madhavanagar was also full.
“The jam lasted for half an hour to 45 minutes only, he added.
Angry commuters who complained to the police about the traffic were threatened by party workers. Traffic and law and order police personnel were mute spectators to the chaos and commuters bore the brunt of it.
"When Freedom Park and Palace Grounds are available for such large-scale ceremonies, why did the Youth Congress choose such a busy junction on Ananda Rao Circle to display its political might, choking the city?" said an angry commuter.
The traffic congestion had a cascading effect affecting movement of vehicles at Okalipuram, Queen’s Road, Balekundri Circle, Chalukya Circle, Infantry Road, Windsor Manor bridge, Race Course Road, Shivananda Circle and Sankey Road, sources said.
DH News Service