Sethu protests derail traffic

Sethu protests derail traffic
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Bangalore: Agitations against the Sethusamudram shipping project threw traffic out of gear in the city on Wednesday. Protesters from different organisations blocked traffic on several roads, causing massive traffic jams.
The worst-hit road was Old Madras Road and it took almost three hours for traffic police to restore the smooth flow of vehicles. Over 100 activists of Sri Ramasethu Rakshana Vedike blocked traffic in front of NGEF at 10 am. The blockade continued until 11.45 am, leading to a vehicle pile-up on Old Madras Road, Ring Road, Airport Road and Kasturinagar Main Road. Normalcy was restored only at 1 pm.
A similar condition was witnessed on Hosur Road at 9.30 am as agitators blocked traffic at Naganathapura junction. “On Hosur Road, the agitation lasted for a short duration and the situation was under control in an hour. However, the congestion on Old Madras Road continued till late in the afternoon,’’ a traffic officer said. Activists from the BJP and a few other organisations organised protests in Yeshwanthpur, Hebbal, Tumkur Road and Banashankari. Their demands included declaring Rama Setu as a historic monument, realignment of the shipping route and to save thorium deposits in the sea.