Another rally, another jam in Bangalore; no lessons learned

Another rally, another jam in Bangalore; no lessons learned
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Barely two days after JD(S) wreaked havoc on the roads and left citizens reeling, it was a repeat performance in and around Palace Grounds on Thursday morning courtesy a children’s cultural festival organised by state government agencies.
All roads leading towards Palace Grounds were jammed between 9 and 11.30 am as hundreds of children were made to walk towards the venue from Basaveshwara Circle (near Chalukya Hotel). The children — 10 to 15 yearolds — were to participate in Chinnara Habba (children’s festival) organized by the National and State Minority Development Corporation and the Rotary Club.
Children were at the heart of the matter at both rallies. The Monday one saw thousands marooned in their buses for a good 3 to 6 hours when returning from school. On Thursday morning 6,000 children were put to great risk as they were made to trudge in peak hour office traffic and in hot sun through the main roads around the High Grounds police station circle towards the Palace Grounds.
With pavements vanishing in most parts of Bangalore, the children were spilling onto the roads and they would have been vulnerable to violence if there had been a breakdown in law and order as visibly angry people stuck again for hours in traffic seemed to lose their patience. The organizers however insisted that the traffic had been blocked for only “10-15 minutes,” which wasn’t the case.
ON THE ROADS
The traffic was messy and unmoving on Sankey Road, High Grounds, Vasanthanagar, the underpass near Mount Carmel College, Cunningham Road and Miller’s Road. A few ministers got into an argument with minister Ramachandre Gowda asking why traffic was being blocked time and again. Even Gowda did not look too happy. His office said, “Nothing of the sort happened. The news that there was some argument is wrong.” Pictures tell a different story.
A Full Stop
LONG WALK Hundreds of children made to walk from Basaveshwara Circle to Palace Grounds
WHY To participate in Chinnara Habba organized by government agencies
EFFECT All roads leading to Palace Grounds jammed
TIME Between 9 am and 11.30 am