E-Paper
VIPs’ visit spells chaos on Ludhiana roads, commuters stuck in massive traffic jams
The police have restricted the movement of vehicles as chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal were Ludhiana for the inauguration of Aam Aadmi Clinics on Friday
Commuters were at the receiving end following traffic jams witnessed on several roads in the city due to VIP visit on Friday.
The congestion was witnessed at Shingar Cinema Road, Samrala Chowk, New Shivaji Nagar Main Road, Model Town, Shastri Nagar, Mall Road, Bharat Nagar Road, Mall road and Ludhiana-Ferozepur road as the police have restricted the movement of vehicles as chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal were in city for the inauguration of Aam Aadmi Clinics on Friday.
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit was also in the city on Friday to take part in a programme held at Guru Nanak Bhawan.
At some spots, including Mall Road and Bharat Nagar Road, the reason behind the traffic congestion was the ongoing construction work of elevated road but at some points, the visit of several political leaders led to the traffic congestion.
As the Bharat Nagar Chowk was partly closed for the movement of traffic due to the construction of an elevated road, vehicles coming from Bhai Bala Chowk side had to first take the Mall Road and then a U-turn from traffic lights to go towards the bus stand.
As the entire burden of traffic has been shifted to Mall Road, a huge traffic jam was witnessed there. Vehicles were seen moving at a snail’s pace.
Rajwinder Singh, a resident of Shastri Nagar, said there was no traffic management in the city. The movement of traffic was already crippled due to the ongoing development projects. Adding to commuters’ woes, the police restricted traffic movement due to VIPs visit.
He added that it takes him 45 minutes to reach Shashtri Nagar from the Mall road.
Anil Kumar of Partap Singh Wala said that locals used to struggle every day to reach their destination as traffic jams have become a routine affair for city residents. He added that the Punjab government should build a strong network of public transport in the city if they want to solve the traffic problem.
