Less than 30% of regular traffic seen on Bengaluru roads on bandh day

Due to the bandh called by pro-Kannada outfits protesting for Cauvery water, the city on Friday witnessed less than 30 per cent of its regular traffic on the roads, traffic police chief M N Anucheth told DH.

During the morning hours, roads showed no disruptions in traffic flow, and many typically busy routes appeared deserted. However, private vehicles were still in circulation, especially in the city centre, where banks and some government offices remained open.

DCP Traffic East Kuldeep Kumar Jain said that traffic in the eastern part dropped to less than 10 per cent in the morning.

Around 7.30 pm, there was an increase in vehicles on the roads, resulting in slow-moving traffic in certain areas. These included Shampura Main Road, Thanisandra Main Road, Kammanahalli Main Road, and Nagawara Main Road in the east and northeast; Ejipura, Jayanagar, and parts of Hosur Road in the south; the vicinity of Cubbon Park centre; and the section of Magadi Road intersecting with Chord Road in the west, along with roads in and around Malleshwaram.

Notably, the Outer Ring Road from the Krishnarajapura metro station to Silk Board remained mostly clear, as IT offices and tech parks had implemented work-from-home arrangements for their employees. Sources in the state police mentioned that there was some earlier disruption by protestors on the service road of the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, but it was swiftly cleared.

Bandh lull turns into opportunity

Traffic police personnel attached to the Bellandur station filled about 10 to 15 potholes and cleared clogged drains at the Devarabisanahalli junction Iblur junction and near Ecospace on the Outer Ring Road to ensure free flow of traffic. “We wanted to do this before IT employees working along this stretch and other road users return in large numbers on Tuesday to ensure that we reduce the risk of traffic slowing down” said Shiva Prakash Devaraju DCP Traffic South.