Chandigarh: Traffic chaos at Sector 26 leaves residents fuming

Naina Mishra

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Chandigarh, March 3

In a blatant display of disregard for the convenience of citizens, residents in the Sector 26 area of Chandigarh were left fuming as they were held up in traffic for almost 30 minutes this morning.

The reason behind the traffic snarl-up was a function organised for teachers, where Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was to flag off the second batch of 30 government school principals for training in Singapore at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) in Sector 26.

As early morning traffic piled up, the entire area was converted into a police cantonment around 9 am, leaving parents stranded and children running late for school. Those who reached schools before 9 am had a smooth entry, while others arriving a little late had a harrowing time.

The road from MGSIPA side was initially blocked for VIP movement, following which commuters were asked to take the parallel road and enter the area from Sector 7 side. However, the inconvenience caused to the parents and students was hardly a matter of concern for the authorities.

Parents and students were left to fend for themselves in the midst of a chaotic situation caused by the careless planning of the authorities.

Rajat, a resident who was dropping off his Class I student to school, highlighted the lack of coordination between the authorities. He tried to approach the road from the Sector 7 side but found it blocked too. He then went back to the MGSIPA side, only to find it still blocked.

According to Rajat, there was a complete lack of coordination between the police at both ends of the road, which only added to the chaos and confusion. The lack of communication between the authorities meant that commuters were forced to go round and round, wasting valuable time and causing immense inconvenience to parents and students alike.

“It is appalling that the authorities responsible for ensuring the smooth conduct of events cannot even coordinate between themselves to ensure the convenience of citizens. The lack of coordination between the cops on both ends of the road only added to the misery of people,” said another commuter.