Protests grind traffic to a halt

Protests grind traffic to a halt
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Several rallies, including a protest opposing the lottery ban, brought traffic in the central districts to a halt on Monday from 10.30 am onwards. The worst traffic jam that hit the city was at 3.30 pm, which brought vehicular movement to a halt until 4.30 pm. Traffic was jammed on Mysore Road, Rajajinagar corridor and the South corridor and Town Hall junction. This led to vehicle pile ups for several kilometres.
While in the morning, about 1,500 members from the Gram Sahakara Sangha workers group held the city to ransom by marching in from Tulsi Thota in Majestic area to Banappa Park near Hudson Circle. En route, the group split into three groups and marched along dense traffic routes towards Mysore Circle, leaving a trail of angry and frustrated motorists sweating under the midday sun.
There was another protest against the recent arrack ban by the government. They played their part in paralysing city traffic by blocking traffic at the Mysore Bank Circle. Lottery ban protesters squatted in three places, including Hudson Circle and Mysore Bank Circle and paralysed the traffic completely. The entire central, western and southern areas of Bangalore were locked up in one of the worst traffic jams of this year.
DCP traffic (East) M A Saleem said, ‘‘We allowed free flow of traffic between Vidhana Soudha, K R Circle, Nrupatunga Road. The persons protesting against lottery squatted for some time at Hudson Circle, but they were quickly removed. Traffic was redirected along several stretches, but most other stretches it was jammed.’’
DCP traffic (West) Rama Subba said,”We have had three processions today from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. We redirected and regulated traffic as far as possible, but three processions in one day is a little too much.’’
Most of the western, southern and central areas were jammed. Traffic was normal in some areas in western Bangalore and was sluggish in the northern parts.
Bangalore East, however, remained unaffected by the protests, but a truck carrying iron bars crashed into the road median between Benniganahalli and KR Puram Cable Stayed Bridge and overturned, thus blocking traffic and causing a massive jam on Old Madras Road and adjoining areas around 6 pm.