Motorists taken on a long ride

Motorists taken on a long ride



Monday dawned as a shock to thousands of motorists who sought to enter the 41-km NICE corridor at different points, including at Tumkur Road, Magadi Road, Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road and Bannerghatta Road, only to realise that they were all blocked following protests by the ruling BJP and the opposition JD(S).
Supporters of both the parties staged protests at the entry points preventing vehicles from entering the corridor, which is used by thousands of Bangaloreans to commute to and fro from their workplaces.
The trouble erupted at 10am when hundreds of BJP supporters started gathering at the intersection of the corridor with Mysore Road near Kengeri, shouting slogans against former prime minister HD Deve Gowda's tirade. They blocked the entry of vehicles into the corridor from Mysore Road and vice versa. Soon, NICE officials, fearing violence, blocked entry of vehicles into the corridor at Magadi Road and Tumkur Road also.
The problem for vehicle users became more complicated when protestors, backed by the JD(S) and other organisations, extended their ongoing protest at Hemmigepura along the corridor to the other five toll gates.
The BJP protests in fact spilled over to the Mysore Road which was also blocked for a few minutes leaving the state highway traffic in absolute mess for 30 minutes before noon.