Government yet to act on court order on rallies

Government yet to act on court order on rallies
The Hindu

LAW &ORDER K.V. Subramanya says managing the chaos caused by rallies is not easy

THE STATE Government's delay to restrict public rallies in the city in compliance with a High Court order is adding to the frustration of the common people who bear the brunt of the traffic jams and the resultant sporadic violence.

The Karnataka High Court directed the Government in July 2005 to identify a place outside the city for holding rallies.

The court said that processions taken out by political parties and organisations should not pass through the main streets of the city. It ruled that the organisers of the rallies should give a week's notice to the Government.

Even after 18 months, the court order's order has not been implemented. Vehicular movement was affected in central parts of the city on Friday following a rally held at the Shivajinagar stadium by Peoples' Front to protest against the "U.S. imperialism".

The BMTC bus services were disrupted and thousands of people returning home from their workplaces around Shivajinagar were either stranded or had to trek long distances.

Most of the processions originate from either Chikkalalbagh or Banappa Park and pass through the busy Mysore Bank Circle, Kempegowga Road, Anand Rao Circle, Hudson Circle, K.R. Circle, G.P.O. Circle and Gopala Gowda Circle.

Traffic jam in these busy areas has a cascading effect causing gridlock on J.C. Road, Seshadri Road, Palace Road, Kengal Hanumanthaiya Road, Rajarammohun Roy Road, Lalbagh Road, Kasturba Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, St. Marks' Road, Residency Road, Sankey Road, T. Chowdiah Road and Cunningham Road.

According to the traffic police, around one lakh vehicles pass through Hudson Circle every hour during peak time. All hell breaks loose when traffic at this junction is blocked for hours.

Senior police officials say such diversions are not always possible.

There are no parallel roads in the busy areas where we can allow the processions on one road and divert the vehicles to the other.

Most of the roads are carrying traffic more than their capacity, a traffic police official explains.

Second, diversion of vehicles during rallies is difficult as processions never start at the scheduled time and are often delayed by three hours.

The official suggests that it should be made mandatory that those organising processions serve a notice, at least 10 days in advance, to the police so that they can work out some measures to prevent traffic jams.

The organisers should be made to provide the route map and timings of the procession and strictly adhere to them, he says. Government yet to act on court order on rallies

LAW &ORDER K.V. Subramanya says managing the chaos caused by rallies is not easy

THE STATE Government's delay to restrict public rallies in the city in compliance with a High Court order is adding to the frustration of the common people who bear the brunt of the traffic jams and the resultant sporadic violence.

The Karnataka High Court directed the Government in July 2005 to identify a place outside the city for holding rallies.

The court said that processions taken out by political parties and organisations should not pass through the main streets of the city. It ruled that the organisers of the rallies should give a week's notice to the Government.

Even after 18 months, the court order's order has not been implemented. Vehicular movement was affected in central parts of the city on Friday following a rally held at the Shivajinagar stadium by Peoples' Front to protest against the "U.S. imperialism".

The BMTC bus services were disrupted and thousands of people returning home from their workplaces around Shivajinagar were either stranded or had to trek long distances.

Most of the processions originate from either Chikkalalbagh or Banappa Park and pass through the busy Mysore Bank Circle, Kempegowga Road, Anand Rao Circle, Hudson Circle, K.R. Circle, G.P.O. Circle and Gopala Gowda Circle.

Traffic jam in these busy areas has a cascading effect causing gridlock on J.C. Road, Seshadri Road, Palace Road, Kengal Hanumanthaiya Road, Rajarammohun Roy Road, Lalbagh Road, Kasturba Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, St. Marks' Road, Residency Road, Sankey Road, T. Chowdiah Road and Cunningham Road.

According to the traffic police, around one lakh vehicles pass through Hudson Circle every hour during peak time. All hell breaks loose when traffic at this junction is blocked for hours.

Senior police officials say such diversions are not always possible.

There are no parallel roads in the busy areas where we can allow the processions on one road and divert the vehicles to the other.

Most of the roads are carrying traffic more than their capacity, a traffic police official explains.

Second, diversion of vehicles during rallies is difficult as processions never start at the scheduled time and are often delayed by three hours.

The official suggests that it should be made mandatory that those organising processions serve a notice, at least 10 days in advance, to the police so that they can work out some measures to prevent traffic jams.

The organisers should be made to provide the route map and timings of the procession and strictly adhere to them, he says.