The processions taken out during the nomination filing by the BJP and the AAP mayoral candidates threw traffic out of gear on the major roads of Dehradun on Monday. The procession of BJP candidate Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ which started from the Mahanagar BJP office near Parade Ground was a massive show of strength. The presence of the saffron party supporters in a huge number in the procession resulted in a severe traffic congestion in the areas near the Clock Tower. Things were further compounded when the schools ended for the day. The traffic police personnel were found grappling with the chaos on the roads as the snarl soon spread to other parts of the city. It took hours to get the traffic flow decongested.
“It took me over an hour to cover a distance of just three kilometres from the school where my son studies to my residence in Nehru Colony today. Normally it takes just ten minutes to cover the distance. The election commission and the State Government should ensure that processions are not allowed to pass along the major roads of the city and particularly during the peak traffic hours,’’ said a distraught Inderpreet Singh.
The secretary of the Uttaranchal Bank Employees association and the mayoral candidate Jagmohan Mehendiratta ascribed the jam to factors like the delay in the declaration of the election and the resultant delay in the announcement of the official candidates.
He said that the same might happen on Tuesday too which happens to be the last day of filling nomination. Mehendiratta suggested that the schools in the vicinity of Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) should be asked to remain closed on Tuesday to prevent traffic snarls and other associated problems.