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Tributes pour in for Badal: VIP visits throw traffic out of gear
Roads were blocked and traffic was diverted to give a clear and safe passage to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who landed at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Singh in Mohali and went to the SAD office via Tribune Chowk
Commuters were in for a rough morning on Wednesday as scores of VIPs descended on Chandigarh to pay tributes to five-time Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) office in Sector 28 where his mortal remains were placed for people to pay their respects.
Roads were blocked and traffic was diverted to give a clear and safe passage to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who landed at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Singh in Mohali and went to the SAD office via Tribune Chowk.
Commuters had to take longer routes, as traffic near the SAD office was majorly hit. Serpentine queues of vehicles formed in various arterial roads around the office, where traffic moved at snail’s pace till 2 pm.
Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar, former Haryana CM OP Chautala, former Punjab CMs Charanjit Singh Channi and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, who is the wife of Capt Amarinder Singh, Haryana assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, Union minister Som Prakash, Congress leader Lal Singh, former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, BSP leader Jasvir Singh Garhi, former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur and SAD (Samyukt) leader Parminder Singh Dhindsa were among other political leaders who reached the SAD office and expressed condolences to Badal’s son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Due to the huge VIP moment in the area, Chandigarh Police barricaded the road from Transport light point to Grain Market light point early in morning. The road from Sukhna light point to Transport light point, located near the SAD office, was also closed, and only VIPs were allowed to pass through.
Though Chandigarh Police alerted residents through its social media platforms, commuters were put through sheer harassment due to multiple road blockades and traffic diversions.
“The public should not be disturbed in case of VIP movement. I need to access the service lane to reach my office in Sector 28, but have been forced to take a longer route,” said Vikas Gupta, an office-goer.
Meanwhile, immediately after confirmation of PM’s visit to the SAD office, senior police officers of both Chandigarh and Punjab Police remained on their toes. Chandigarh DGP Praveer Ranjan and SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, along with senior Punjab officers, reviewed the security arrangements in and around the venue to avoid any untoward situation.
“There are two huge grounds in Sector 28 and people were allowed to park their vehicles there and walk towards the office. There was ample security deployed around the venue,” the SSP said. Cars parked on footpaths near the venue were towed away.
The UT administration also ensured all safety precautions, and thus ambulances, fire tenders and even bullet-proof vehicles, were stationed near the SAD office.
Other than cops from both Punjab and Chandigarh, who kept a strict vigil on the security, along with commandos and other key security forces, dog and bomb squads were also present.
