Commuters faced a harrowing time as roads surrounding Punjab Agriculture University remained clogged till afternoon due to a heavy rush of vehicles on the inaugural day of the Kisan Mela.
Chaos and confusion ruled the roost as the police barred entry from gates 1, 2 and 3, resulting in a heavy jam at gate 4 on DMC Road. PAU authorities and police completely failed to control the heavy rush, as farmers were made to walk nearly 2km (from gate no 1) and 3km (from gate no 2) to the main stage where chief minister Bhagwant Mann was scheduled to deliver his address.
Some farmers even got into a heated argument with a PAU security guard at Parker House. “There are no clear direction signs and we were being made to go from pillar to post,” said Gurjit Singh from Bathinda.
On the other hand, PAU authorities maintained that due information was shared regarding rules for entry and directions.
Entry through gate 1 was only allowed after the chief minister’s arrival. The narrow stretch from Sidhwan Canal to gate 1, on the under-construction Ferozpur Road, and the stretch from Saggu Chowk to gate 4 on DMC Road, remained clogged with vehicles till afternoon.
{{/usCountry}}Entry through gate 1 was only allowed after the chief minister’s arrival. The narrow stretch from Sidhwan Canal to gate 1, on the under-construction Ferozpur Road, and the stretch from Saggu Chowk to gate 4 on DMC Road, remained clogged with vehicles till afternoon.
{{/usCountry}}Residents were also left in lurch because of slow traffic movement. A number of buses and cars were parked on Ferozpur Road, as the bus parking at PAU’s gate 8 on Sidhwan Canal Road remained chock-a-blocked. Commuters complained that despite heavy security arrangements due to CM’s visit, no effective measures were taken to keep the flow of traffic smooth.
Baljinder Singh, a resident of Halwara, said, “We came one hour before the inauguration to save ourselves from traffic, but we were not allowed to enter through gate 1. It took us over 45 minutes to reach gate 4.”
Gurvinder, a farmer from Mohali, said, “We were denied entry at gate 1 in the morning. As we reached towards gate 4, we were sent back as there was a heavy jam and we were forced to park our vehicle on the road.”
A traffic police officer said that because of the narrow stretch on the Ferozpur road, it is not possible to send every vehicle from that side. He added that gate 2 had to be closed due to security reasons.
Joint commissioner of police (JCP, traffic) Gurdial Singh said that three entry points — gate 1 (opposite Surya Complex on Ferozepur Road), gate 5 (opposite Gurudwara Nanaksar) and gate 8 (along South City Road), were designated for entry of visitors. But, due to the heavy flow of traffic, they had to make other arrangements due to security reasons. The JCP added that more than 60 traffic cops were deployed to manage the flow of traffic.