TRAPPED: Nowhere to go

TRAPPED: Nowhere to go
TIRED, STRESSED OUT, FRUSTRATED AND CAUGHT IN A JAM
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Even as former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy stepped into his new shoes and held forth as JD(S) president at the Palace Grounds, the repercussions were felt for several kilometers around the city. They were horrific, to say the least. Thousands of people were stuck in the mother of all jams — frustrated, angry, worried and disgusted that a political party
was playing havoc with so many lives.
Suffering patients, crying children, commuters and travellers waited and watched as afternoon turned to evening, and there was no sign of a letup. It was a miserable Monday.
Air travellers miss flights
Several travellers on the way to the airport missed flights as traffic did not budge an inch on the crucial Bellary Road — many failed to reach BIAL even after seven hours.
Dr Tandon from Delhi missed his 6.40 pm flight. He started from Indiranagar at 3.30 pm but could not reach the airport on time. “I can’t understand why people are made to suffer because of someone who wants to display their political might,’’ he said.
According to Air India officials, two passengers had missed the 6.40 pm IC 977 Bangalore-Muscat flight. Jet Airways officials that there were no delays in flight schedules and they were not aware if any passengers had missed flights due to the traffic jam.
BIAL officials said no delays in the departure of flights were reported on account of traffic snarls. A Kingfisher Airlines official at the airport also confirmed that no flight was delayed and added that no incidents of passengers missing their flights were reported.
Office-goers stuck
Residents of north-eastern parts of the city, who were either on second shift or had started late, had a terrible time trying to navigate the traffic. Office-goers heading home after a long day were stranded. M S Paul from Doddaballapura had come to the city on some work, but was on the road for more than six hours. He said reaching his home was a complete struggle through the traffic, which spilled over to the outskirts of the city till Doddaballapur. Ganapathi, an employee at a printing press and resident of Anandnagar, had started home at 3.30 pm from office. But he was tired of waiting for the traffic to clear and got down from his office cab near Cantonment railway station and started walking. Finally, he reached home at 7.30 pm. He said: “It was a horrible sight as people tired of waiting for traffic to clear had thrown out all kinds of garbage. Some people had even puked on the footpaths, making it difficult for pedestrians.’’ An office-goer from Sanjayanagar, who left home at 2.40 pm could not reach his office on M G Road even at 7.30 pm. At 7 pm, he had reached Mehkri Circle, just three-andhalf kilometres from his home. He said: “I am feeling like a hostage. There is no room for vehicles to move anywhere, we are moving 3-4 feet every halfan-hour. It has already taken four hours to cover three-andhalf kilometres.’’