The UP government’s decision to make fresh recruitments of 42,000 police constables evoked protests in Lucknow on Wednesday from over 5,000 aspirants awaiting results of a similar recruitment drive announced in 2015 by the previous regime.
The protesters demanded that results of the 2015 drive to recruit around 34,716 police constables be announced first and the new recruitment process be initiated after that.
The matter of the 2015 recruitment process is pending in high court after some aspirants alleged anomalies in the process.
The agitation led to a traffic nightmare for Lucknowites as roads in Hazratganj’s vicinity remained chock a block.
{{/usCountry}}The agitation led to a traffic nightmare for Lucknowites as roads in Hazratganj’s vicinity remained chock a block.
{{/usCountry}}Protestors from different districts reached here and gathered at Charbagh since morning.
Heavy police force was deployed in Charbagh after a prior alert by the Intelligence unit. A route chart was also prepared for the protestors to reach Laxman Mela ground for their protest but the presence of thousands of agitators on city roads resulted in a major traffic chaos.
“The protestors reached the Laxman Mela ground from Charbagh via Burlington crossing, Latouche road, Qaiserbagh and Parivartan Chowk. Police authorities tried keeping the protestors away from Hazratganj, Station Road and Ashok Marg, but diversions on other routes following this protest led to traffic chaos in Hazratganj and its vicinity,” said a senior traffic police officer.
Apart from daily commuters, a large number of students returning home from school were also stranded for more than an hour at different roads in Hazratganj and surrounding areas. Vans ferrying students of schools in Hazratganj remained stuck in traffic snarls at various locations.
Manager of an electrical goods company, Alok Shukla, said he had struggle a lot reach his kid’s school on Shahnajaf Road due to the chaos. He said it took over an hour to reach Shahnajaf Road from Yojna Bhawan.
“My kids had to wait for long at the school. The same situation was witnessed while returning from there,” he said and questioned, “Why the police and administration allow protestors to gather in the city.”
Another commuter, Krishna Mohan said protests have now become a regular feature and the common man suffers. He demanded that the district administration should go for some permanent solution to resolve the issue.
d the road from Bapu Bhawan crossing towards Vidhan Sabha, the stretch from GPO crossing to Sikandarbagh crossing and the Hussainganj-Sikandarbagh route along with adjoining roads saw the worst traffic chaos.
The situation at Cantonment Road, Sadar flyover, Qaiserbagh, Nishatganj and Rana Pratap Marg was similar.