Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat was forced to sample the frustrating experience routinely undergone by general public in Dehradun due to rising traffic congestion.
The CM’s motorcade got stuck for about five minutes among the vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the EC Road stretch from Survey Chowk to Dwarika store on Tuesday noon. The congestion was reportedly caused due to a protest march by college students to the secretariat.
Observers point out that though the CM was held in the traffic jam for only a few minutes, it did exhibit the failure of police and district administration to fulfill their responsibilities effectively due to various factors including political intrusion and pressure tactics by members of various fraternities with varied political links.
Though the police do periodically make alterations in traffic plans among other measures towards smooth traffic regulation in Dehradun, sources point out political interference and some other factors prevent the police and district administration from effectively taking necessary measures like demolition of encroachments and stringent action against traffic rule violators as all such attempts made so far had fizzled out with politicians coming out in support of their vote banks.
Dalanwala police station in-charge Anil Kumar Joshi said that the CM’s car was stuck for about two minutes when ABVP supporters participating in the rally were crossing the Survey Chowk when the CM’s car reached the site going towards Dalanwala.
Meanwhile, people in Dehradun continue to suffer from traffic congestion turning into a routine affair in Dehradun. Various attempts made by the authorities to resolve this problem have had limited success due to factors including the apathy and failure of the public to follow regulations as responsible users of roads and vehicles.