Traffic goes haywire during VIP visit in Patiala

Patiala, October 2

The traffic in and around the city went haywire as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited for the inauguration of the renovated Mata Kaushalya hospital along with the new polo ground on Patiala-Sangrur road as part of a campaign for the infrastructure development of secondary health care facilities across the state.

To the inconvenience of the general public, the road connecting the city to the Patiala-Sangrur road from the army area near Government Rajindra Hospital was blocked for commuters. The road remained blocked until the southern bypass, as the buses that ferried Aam Aadmi Party’s workers to the rally remained parked on the road.

The administration had released an advisory for the general public to take the Dakala-Devigarh-Sanaur road route to enter the city. The traffic going towards Sangrur and Samana was also directed to shift there. It was suggested that people should avoid the Fountain Chowk, Khanda Chowk, Leela Bhawan Chowk, and Theekri Wala Chowk, along with the road from Government Rajindra Hospital to Passiana.

Meanwhile, the area of Bhupindra Road, Leela Bhawan Chowk, remained clear from traffic as the two Chief Ministers reached the city on a helicopter at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology.

While the city traffic was affected, the traffic on the Patiala-Rajpura road and the bypass road towards Sangrur also witnessed traffic jams. Buses were parked on the road, which created bottlenecks.