As thousands of fans from Chandigarh, Mohali and nearby areas made their way to the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, which was hosting the face-off between Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday, New Chandigarh residents were left struggling to navigate the traffic chaos amid poor management.
Many complained of congestion, haphazard parking, and choking of key entry routes from Dhanas and Mullanpur for hours. Rubbing salt to their wound was the fact that traffic police had reserved one side of the 200-ft-wide road for VIPs and the other side for spectators, leaving no space for daily commuters.
At some places, there were also reports of some individuals allowing the spectators to park their vehicles, illegally, on their agricultural land, for a price. “Illegal parking is happening all over the area. There is complete chaos and traffic congestion everywhere. People are parking their vehicles randomly, and some individuals are even charging ₹500 for parking without any authorisation,” said advocate Sartaj Khan, a resident of Omaxe.
Shiv Kumar, a resident of Togan village and a teacher at Government Primary School, Majra, said he was rerouted from Kurali via Mullanpur, Mastpur and Dhanora, due to the traffic. “I even argued with the police as they failed to understand our situation. Our village is barely a kilometre away, yet we were not allowed to pass,” he said, adding that he had faced similar harassment during the previous match too.
Residents from nearby villages, including Maloya, Paintpur, Ratwara, Sarangpur, Palheri and Omaxe Cassia, also bore the brunt, as diverted traffic flooded their otherwise quiet roads, creating jams and safety concerns. Narrow village roads, not built for such volume, became nearly impassable at peak hours.
{{/usCountry}}Residents from nearby villages, including Maloya, Paintpur, Ratwara, Sarangpur, Palheri and Omaxe Cassia, also bore the brunt, as diverted traffic flooded their otherwise quiet roads, creating jams and safety concerns. Narrow village roads, not built for such volume, became nearly impassable at peak hours.
{{/usCountry}}Echoing similar concerns, the sarpanch of a nearby village criticised the traffic police for poor planning. He pointed out that screening of VVIPs and ticket holders should have been initiated at least 1.5 km beyond the Dhanas exit. “This would have spared residents of villages like Maloya and Togan from unnecessary inconvenience and harassment,” he said.
Even media personnel covering the matches were not spared. Instead of being allowed entry from the Chandigarh side, they were redirected via Mohali, taking longer routes through Sector 125 Airport Road or the Mullanpur-Kurali stretch connecting to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, and Madhya Marg, further adding to confusion and delays. “We have to leave by 2.30 pm for a 7 pm game just to manage the traffic and reach on time, and by the time we get back, it’s often past 12.30 midnight. Even reaching Amritsar from the city would have been easier than this,” said a sports reporter.
Severe bottlenecks were witnessed on approach roads from Maloya and Ratwara towards PR-4, while traffic crawled along alternative routes such as Dhanas-Togan, Mullanpur-Mastgarh-Dhanora-Togan and Sarangpur-Milkh-Mastgarh-Dhanora, further compounded by a narrow stretch near a dargah on PR-4 that triggered long queues ahead of the PCA parking points PR-1 and PR-2.
Many pointed out that despite anticipating the stadium’s importance, the Punjab Cricket Association, failed to develop adequate parking before hosting matches. The designated areas largely comprising villagers’ fields are temporarily converted into parking spaces.
Inside residential societies, the situation worsened as visitors parked vehicles indiscriminately along roadsides, near housing clusters, and even in open fields around Omaxe and adjoining areas. Despite designated parking zones, poor enforcement and lack of civic discipline led to spillover congestion.
Ajay Sharma, a resident of Omaxe Cassia and joint secretary of OCRWA, criticised the lack of preparedness. “The stadium has been made operational without adequate infrastructure. Parking is insufficient, roads are incomplete, and on match days, even emergency movement becomes impossible,” he said.
He added that spectators themselves are forced to walk long distances after parking due to poor planning, while residents remain stuck in gridlock.
Responding to the concerns, SP (traffic, Mohali), Navneet Mahal said that traffic advisories are issued well in advance of every IPL match, and urged commuters to plan their journeys and opt for alternative routes. “We have to accommodate traffic for nearly 30,000 spectators and manage parking for over 10,000 vehicles in and around the stadium area. At the same time, VIP movement from Chandigarh, including ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats and judges, has to be seamless,” he said.
He explained that one side of the 200-ft-wide road is kept reserved for such movement from the Chandigarh side, while the other is utilised to channelise IPL spectators towards designated parking zones. “We understand that residents face inconvenience, but managing such a large-scale event requires strict traffic regulation. Our teams are deployed across all key junctions to minimise disruption and ensure safety. We are continuously reviewing the arrangements and will further streamline movement in coordination with all stakeholders,” he added.
Amid the growing concerns, experts emphasised the need for public feedback to help authorities fine-tune their arrangements. “The administration and police forces work extensively before such events, and proper planning is put in place as large crowds gather. However, if residents are facing issues at any point, they should come forward and report the problems so that they can be addressed,” said road safety expert Harpreet Singh.