Doon residents faced traffic congestion on various roads in the State Capital on the third day of the Vidhan Sabha session, as traffic was practically thrown out of gear with Aam Aadmi Party, Uttarakhand Unemployed Homeopathic Pharmacist Diploma Holders’ Union and the Ramganga Sadak Andolan staging agitation on Wednesday. The commuters had to walk a few kilometres to board buses or take autos to reach their destinations.
The district police had drafted plan and some traffic routes were changed to ensure that traffic movement remained smooth during the session. All the three outfits were allowed to conduct rallies separately. The administration had kept half an hour between them. Policemen followed the rallies to ensure smooth traffic flow and to maintain order.
Moreover, traffic policemen were deployed at crossings to resolve the traffic congestions in case of rallies being staged. However, these arrangements seemed to have failed to spare the commuters inconveniences. As agitators staged rallies that snaked through several localities in the city, the students and the commuters had faced harrowing time with traffic coming almost to a standstill on the important roads.
When the protesters from the two organizations and AAP were advancing towards Vidhan Sabha, things looked dismal. The hardships were further compounded as the police put up barricades at important places, including Haridwar Road (Rispana Bridge), to keep order and to stop the protesters from advancing towards the Assembly premises. Some students were found walking a few kilometers due to traffic diversion especially around Dharampur, Rispana area and other places in the city.
In spite of deployment of forces, traffic congestion was witnessed at important crossings like Dilaram Chowk, Dharampur and Rispana Bridge in the State capital.