Will we ever get succour from our politicians?

Rallies choke Bangalore roads, commuters fume-Rall
Vijay Times

Bangalore: Bangalore remained paralysed for several hours on Wednesday with several roads choking due to one of the worst traffic build-ups the City has seen in recent times.

The culprits were three rallies held in the heart of the City, the biggest by far being the Congress convention at Palace Grounds where Mallikarjuna Kharge took charge as KPCC chief, putting pedestrians and motorists through untold suffering. This has been allowed despite High Court's recent direction to the State Government to identify a separate place outside the City to hold rallies. The High Court had also said no vehicle involved with the rally should pass through the City.

The other two were the Madiga Reservation Action Committee protest near Seshadri Road junction demanding immediate appointment of a chairman to the one-man internal reservation commission, which affected traffic on Seshadri Road, and autorickshaw drivers' protest on Residency Road against shortage of LPG filling stations. The last rally crippled Brigade Road and Residency Road up to Trinity Circle and Richmond Junction for nearly two hours.

Traffic started building up in the morning when over 100 buses -- apart from other vehicles -- began arriving in the City carrying Congress workers from nearby towns and villages and choked Bangalore's major thoroughfares. The Yeshwantpur Circle-Mekhri Circle route (C V Raman Road) was the first to be affected, followed by Bellary Road and Old Madras Road. The unprecedented build-up had a ripple effect throughout the City, including the Airport Road.

The traffic jam crippled Jayamahal Road, Bellary Road, Mekhri Circle, Hebbal flyover, C V Raman Road, Ramana Maharshi Road, Kaveri junction, Sadashivanagar Main Road, Sankey Road and other connecting roads to Palace Grounds. The main roads in Malleswaram began clogging early in the day which affected roads in Rajajinagar, where the congestion continued till evening.