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Commuters face long traffic jams due to first cabinet meeting in Ludhiana
Following the cabinet meeting at Circuit House on Ferozepur road, heavy security measures were also in place in parts of Ludhiana
Ludhiana: Delays, long jams and diversions were the order of the day for commuters in prime areas of the city with heightened security arrangements for Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who was here to chair the first cabinet meeting of his government held outside Chandigarh.
The meeting was held at Circuit House on Ferozepur road, following which heavy security measures were also in place in different parts of the city as cabinet ministers and top-ranking officials had arrived to participate in the meeting.
With traffic on the Ferozepur road already plying on the slip road, the diversions and blockades for smooth movement of VIP vehicles, the under-construction stretch remained clogged till the main entrance of Punjab Agriculture University and had a cascading effect on traffic coming from various parts of the city, including Malhar road.
The approach road towards the Circuit House was also shut for traffic in the early hours and remained closed till the afternoon leading to major inconvenience for the commuters coming from Haibowal, Ghumar Mandi etc. Other intersections, including Saggu chowk, Aarti chowk and Dayanand Medical College road also remained clogged till 2 pm on Friday.
Many regular commuters who faced blockades and traffic jams on alternative routes expressed their grievances. Surjit Singh, a cab driver said he was unable to pick up two of his customers as he got stuck in the jams. He added that residents already battle with traffic woes due to prolong road construction projects and the dilapidated condition of roads in the entire city.
Baljit Kaur, a school teacher by profession, stated that before coming to power the Aam Aadmi Party government had promised that VIP culture will be ended. She added that traffic was stalled for over ten minutes to provide passage to long convoys of ministers while the residents had a harrowing time.
Assistant commissioner of police, (ACP, traffic) Charanjit Lamba said traffic movement was required to be halted for three to five minutes on frequent occasions to clear the passage for convoys of top officials. He added that besides the road in front of the Circuit House for which alternative routes were provided, no other road was blocked.
He stated that the convenience of city residents remains to be the top priority.
