A mega rally and no traffic snarls

A mega rally and no traffic snarls


Express News ServiceFirst Published : 01 Mar 2009 04:27:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 01 Mar 2009 08:44:37 AM IST
BANGALORE: The city police seem to have learnt their lessons from the traffic chaos witnessed during the JD(S) rally at Palace Grounds. While everyone expected the streets to be choked on account of the anti-terrorism rally and and students awareness programme hosted by the BJP at Palace Grounds, the city, surprisingly, was free of any traffic congestion.
Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari, however, confirmed that except for the rally at Palace Grounds by the BJP, no other protests were permitted on Saturday.
Unlike the JD(S) rally which had choked the city, the traffic was well managed this time. Though the High court had ordered not to allow more than 25,000 participants at the rally, about 1 lakh students poured into the Palace Grounds. But the police, following the orders of the Karnataka HC, took precautionary steps to regulate and monitor the anti-terrorism rally. A contented Additional Commissioner of Police, Traffic and Security, Praveen Sood, said that the unlike last time, vehicles were allowed into Palace Grounds only after the roads were cleared of the regular road users. However, the city police arrested a total of 51 men, who were part of a counter-rally observed by the student wings of the JD(S) and the Congress.
The protestors were arrested on Saturday morning from Annadarao Circle and Race Course Road.