Being one among the crowd celebrating The Foundation Day event at Morhabadi Ground today remained only a dream to come true next year for many, as the traffic arrangement around the roads leading to venue appeared simply ugly. Hundreds of people got trapped in huge traffic jam on Tagore hill Road, Bariatu Road near Karamtoli, Harihar Singh Road (from RIMS to Morhabadi Grounds) and Circular Road to Karamtoli right before the celebration event started in Morhabadi Grounds today.
Buses from across the State that transported citizens to celebration venue were found parked everywhere on and off the road around roads leading to the venue, causing serious problems to routine commuters in those areas. However, traffic police were also found struggling clearing the traffic, only to fail at many points.
“We tried our best to maintain traffic arrangements in the city for the day. However, it was just one breakdown of a car on the road, which led to unending traffic jam for first half of the day around Morhabadi grounds,” said Traffic SP Sanjay Ranjan Singh. However, he claimed that traffic on the roads turned swift by the time the event came to an end at afternoon.
Singh added that late arrival of buses from different parts of the State for celebration of Foundation was also a major reason causing traffic hurdles. “We had created certain dropping points, from where we had made arrangements to take people to Morhabadi Grounds. But dozens of buses arrived at dropping points only right before the event was about to start. So, we had to allow them to reach up to as near to the Ground as possible, which created traffic jam like situation. Had we stopped them at dropping points, thousands of people couldn’t have made it to event,” said Singh.
Party workers and enthusiasts rally around the peripherals of the venue also added troubles in maintaining traffic on Bariatu Road. The workers were found occupying wrong side routes to dodge the traffic, only adding to more troubles. Singh also said that he came across one such group, though not huge in numbers, who dispersed at Karamtoli Chowk. “But they joined the event, may be after it started, and were not seen in group after event came to an end,” said Singh.