Ordeal on the roads returned to haunt the commuters as the Budget session of the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha entered second day on Thursday. Several organisations took out rallies in the city to draw the attention of the State government over their respective demands, throwing traffic out of gear.
Acute traffic congestion was witnessed in the morning hours for one and half hour on many of the important thoroughfares when cavalcades of dignitaries began reaching Vidhan Sabha to attend the Assembly. College students and officer goers subsequently got stuck between 10 and 11.30 am. later at noon, things compounded as a host of outfits hit the streets in processions, marching towards the Vidhan Sabha.
Traffic came to a grinding halt as Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigan limited (UPNl) Employee Federation along with some others took out rallies. Vehicles moved at a snail’s pace at many places. The ordeal that started in the morning continued till late evening, landing the traffic police in a miserable plight. At many of the important crossings across the city, vehicles were found stuck bumper to bumper, leaving the commuters in the lurch. Things remained messy long after the rallies were over. Among the worst affected areas were Rispana, Survey Chowk, Dilaram Chowk and Clock Tower as the rallies moved on. The commuters said they had faced difficulties due to change in routes.
“We had to wait for a long time to get autos or buses to reach destinations during the noon hours when things were at their worst as it was the time when the students came out of their schools,” one of them said.
Several organisations like UPNl Employee Federation Uttarakhand, some trade unions and Uttarakhand Gram Prahari Union rallied in the state capital in support of their demands. The picture was pathetic at Rispana bridge as the commuters, especially the students, were seen walking for around a kilometer to catch autos or Vikrams. The barricade at Rispana bridge was closed for around three hours, resulting in the movement of buses, autos, Vikrams being adversely affected. Things continued for as long as two hours.
The commuters vented anger on police, saying that they proved inefficient in controlling traffic despite drafting traffic plan to ease the woe of the roads. “We wonder why the authorities choose to sleep over the matter of several places in the capital remaining dug by construction agencies,” said Ramesh Semwal, resident of Raipur. Subodh Singh, resident of Rispana, said that the Assembly session on, they would continue to suffer on the roads.