Rallies leave traffic gridlocked, motorists fume

Rallies leave traffic gridlocked, motorists fume
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Nobody bothers about the state government’s decision to ban rallies and protests on the city’s arterial roads. On Monday morning, rallies by political parties brought traffic to a grinding halt in and around Raj Bhavan during the peak hours.
Vehicles crawled in the central districts after the opposition Congress and the JD(U) held separate rallies against the government. The gridblock began within minutes after the marching protesters started moving on Queen’s Road after 10 am, in front of the KPCC office. By the time the rally reached Basaweshwar Circle via Balekundry Circle, Cunningham Road, Miller’s Road, vehicles were piling up on all arterial roads in the central business district and connecting roads.
“This is becoming a regular menace. Every time there is a rally headed for Raj Bhavan, traffic gets choked. Why don’t the authorities make it mandatory for the organisers to hold such events at some specially earmarked grounds,’’ an enraged commuter said.
Successive chief ministers in the last three years have announced that the police will restrict rallies to specific grounds. The then CM Dharam Singh had said a part of the old Central Jail in Gandhinagar would be converted into a rally zone like Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. But nothing happened of that.
Traffic remained chaotic at Raj Bhavan, Vidhana Soudha and nearby areas like the arterial road Sankey Road, which leads up to Bellary Road. Vehicle movement was blocked on Raj Bhavan until the Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to the governor. When the rally began, Queen’s Road was completely blocked for traffic. Barricades were put near the KPCC office and all vehicles entering Queen’s Road from crossroads were also not allowed to move towards Balekundri Circle.
The scene was similar at Basaveshwar Circle. Road-widening work added to motorists’ woes. “We had to stop the vehicles on some particular roads as the rally was on. The inconvenience to the people was obvious, and the disruption went on till 2 pm,’’ a senior police official said.
Those who lived around KPCC office had a tough time when the matadors ferrying Congress Party supporters to the rally were parked haphazardly on the roads around Queen’s Road, Cunningham Crescent Road and around Alliance Francaise.
“It’s time the police banned rallies. Otherwise, we will stop voting for those who take out protest marches,” a senior citizen stuck in a jam said.