Jalandhar roads blocked for Punjab CM's visit, commuters suffer

Jalandhar, April 14

Commuters were at the receiving end as roads leading towards Nakodar remained closed for more than three hours and there was barricading at various locations near Model Town, Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Nakodar Chowk and other places due to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s visit to the city today to mark the 131st birth anniversary of Baba Saheb.

Residents complained that the stretch is used by them on a daily basis for travelling to their offices or going towards Nakodar, therefore, the traffic cops must have planned alternative routes for them. They said as there was no one to guide, they were forced to take kutcha roads that pass through colonies and other long routes to reach their destinations.

They said even though the cops were on their toes, there was traffic mismanagement and chaos on the roads as large numbers of vehicles were stranded near barricades at the stretch.

“The road should have been closed for a few minutes before the arrival of the CM. We all know its Baisakhi, Ambedkar Jayanti and Mahavir Jayanti today, so it’s quite obvious that Sikh families will visit gurdwaras and others would pay obeisance at Ambedkar Chowk and other places, so the traffic should have been planned keeping in mind the convenience of residents,” said Gursimran Kaur, a resident of TV Tower.

Another Gopal Kumar, a shopkeeper on the Nakodar road said: “Barricading was done right in front of my shop. The cops closed the stretch at 10.30 am, while CM came around 12 noon. We do understand giving a freeway to CM’s convoy is a protocol due to security issues, but there’s always a way out. If the traffic from the alternative routes and in the city was managed properly, there would have been no chaos and no jams,” he added.

He said even the mediapersons faced issues in parking their vehicles as there were barricades all around. “All in all, the management was not up to the mark,” he added.

The commuters further added that due to barricading at different places, long traffic jams were witnessed near Nakodar chowk, Guru Nanak Mission, Kapurthala chowk and at different locations in Model town. Meanwhile, the cops deployed at the venue and near barricades maintained that due security reasons, they received the orders to close the entire stretch for traffic.