Protests spell chaos on roads in Mohali, Kharar

Tribune News Service

Mohali, November 30

Protests by members of several unions threw life out of gear as massive traffic jams were witnessed in Mohali and Kharar this afternoon.

Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) and TET-qualified teachers, members of the visually impaired union, National Health Mission (NHM) workers and others blocked traffic on main roads.

The protesting ETT teachers blocked the Chandigarh-Kharar highway near the elevated road at Desumajra in Kharar for close to five hours. The highway remained choked with queues of vehicles on both sides of the road till 10 pm. Traffic virtually came to a standstill and commuters were inconvenienced in the peak rush hours. The traffic chaos spilled on to the Kharar-Landran road and the Mohali-Kharar road as commuters tried to make way through alternative routes. Unruly scenes were witnessed at several places as harried commuters vented their ire against the protesters.

Kharar DSP Gurcharan Singh said, “Owing to the ongoing protests at several places, movement of vehicles was affected for more than five hours.”

In Mohali, office-goers, patients and the underprivileged were inconvenienced as protesters blocked the road near the Verka Milk plant in Phase 6.

“Commuters were harassed due to the teachers’ protest during the rush hours today. The livelihood of auto-rickshaw drivers, traders and shopkeepers was severely affected,” said Kuldeep Singh, an Anandpur Sahib-bound passenger.

In Phase 7, NHM workers took out a rally to press for regular service, which led to a traffic jam.

Gurdeep Kalra, who works as nurse at a private hospital in Mohali, said, “Those who do not have their own conveyance had nowhere to go. They were stranded on the road. We understand their hardships but the protesters must also understand our compulsions.”