E-Paper
VIPs’ visit throws Ludhiana road traffic out of gear
Those visiting the office and shops were hit worst as traffic diversions welcomed them on several routes connecting to Ferozepur Road
Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s cabinet meeting in Ludhiana put the city traffic out of gear on Wednesday.
Those visiting the office and shops were hit worst as traffic diversions welcomed them on several routes connecting to Ferozepur Road.
Massive traffic jams were witnessed at Bharat Nagar Chowk, Verka Milk Plant Malhar Road and Saggu Chowk at 9am, while commuters were left to find their way through the bottlenecks at Bhai Wala Chowk as no traffic cop was deployed to regulate the traffic.
Pankaj Sharma, a resident of Barewal Road, said he was travelling towards the old city, but the traffic was diverted from Ferozepur Road. He said the police should have made a prior announcement about the change in route plan in the wake of the CM’s visit to the city.
The diversion on the highway further compounded the problem and led to chaos on the internal streets of the city.
Many of those stranded were sharing pictures on social media and narrating their plight. “I had to visit Sarabha Nagar in the morning, but learnt that due to chief minister’s visit, utter chaos prevailed on the Ferozepur Road and surrounding area. So I postponed my plan,” said Divya Jain.
As the day progressed, the situation deteriorated further. Around 11am, the cops deployed for CM security were pressed into service as angry residents entered into an argument with policemen who were diverting the traffic near circuit house.
Many passengers travelling in local and private buses decided to walk to reach their destination. “It is good that CM has visited the city as it shows that other cities other than Chandigarh also exist in Punjab, but at the same time the visit has exposed poor traffic management of the city police. They are aware of the traffic in the industrial town and the challenges it poses, but still they failed to effectively implement traffic diversions,” said Sarabjit Singh, a resident from Mullanpur, who was visiting the city.
Gridlock on NH-44
The motorists travelling on National Highway 44 connecting Ludhiana with Jalandhar found themselves in a gridlock after a truck ferrying grain developed a snag at the railway over bridge near Ladhowal on Wednesday morning.
On Ladhowal Road, commuters took to social media to seek help from Ludhiana traffic police and national highway authorities for clearing traffic jams.
A city resident, Varinder Rana, while sharing a picture of the traffic jam, sought help from police so that the passage could be cleared. Many commuters were diverted towards the Ladhowal bypass. However, situation returned to normal by the afternoon.
Despite repeated attempts, comments of joint commissioner of police Deepak Pareek could not be elicited.
Para powerlifter denied meeting with Punjab CM
Ramandeep Kaur, who bagged a gold medal in an international para-powerlifting championship in 2017, was stopped 100 metres away from the circuit house where Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was holding a meeting with his cabinet colleagues.
Ramandeep was here to seek a job from the CM. She said she had been trying to get the job for several years, but all her efforts remained futile.
“I have even lost my son in the process,” lamented the 33-year-old powerlifter, who carried with her medals won on national and international levels.
She said that sportspersons were being “used as a propaganda tool by politicians”.