Rath Yatra throws traffic out of gear in Ludhiana
Traffic congestion was witnessed at Ferozepur Road, Pakhowal Road, Gurdev Nagar, College Road, Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar Road, Barewal Road, South City, Dandi Swami Road and several other parts of the city.
A religious procession (rath yatra) passing from Durga Mata Mandir near Jagraon Bridge to Nav Durga Mandir in Sarabha Nagar left commuters stranded on the roads across the busy areas of the city on Sunday.
Traffic congestion was witnessed at Ferozepur Road, Pakhowal Road, Gurdev Nagar, College Road, Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar Road, Barewal Road, South City, Dandi Swami Road and several other parts of the city.
According to the advisory issued by the police on Saturday, the procession was to begin at noon but it started at around 2.45pm which added to the chaos.
A traffic police personnel, requesting anonymity, said as the number of vehicles was usually less in the morning, the advisory was planned accordingly, but as the procession was running over two hours late, the planning went for a toss.
When the yatra started from Durga Mata Mandir, passing through Club Road towards Fountain Chowk and Ghumar Mandi, the traffic police installed barricades at the old session chowk and near Fountain Chowk to restrict the entry of vehicles. All the vehicles were diverted towards the Dandi Swami road. Similarly, when the procession went from Rani Jhansi Road to Ghumar Mandi, Aarti Chowk, Ferozepur Road and Sarabha Nagar, all the entry points to this road were barricaded.
The procession went on till late evening.
Commuters inconvenienced
A Mohali resident, Praveen Kumar, who was in the city to meet his relative admitted at DMCH got stuck at Bharat Nagar Chowk. “The entry to the Mall Road was restricted due to the procession. I am not from the city, so commuting when the main roads are closed is difficult,” said Kumar. “Processions in Mohali are organised in such a manner that they do not hinder the traffic movement. The residents here need to be sensitised,” he said.
A Ludhiana resident, Kunal Khanna, who was coming to the city from Ferozepur Road, shared a similar grouse. “The traffic near the Octroi Post was jammed. I took the turn towards Barewal Road to avoid it, but on reaching Southern Bypass near Asha Puri, there was another jam. It took me around 35 minutes to pass through,” he said.
Jeewanjot, a resident of Rajguru Nagar, added, “The city is already facing traffic congestion due to several road construction projects. The authorities should allow these processions to be held in such a way that commuters are not inconvenienced. If traffic gets disrupted, action should be taken against the organisers.”
