Thousands of commuters had a difficult time on Friday as a farmers' protest led to heavy traffic congestion across Chandigarh. Long queues of vehicles were seen on several key roads.
Over 100 buses carrying farmers reached Chandigarh for the protest. The protesters marched from Sector 34 to Matka Chowk, demanding a cut in petrol and diesel prices. Their rally slowed traffic on several key roads.
Traffic remained blocked on Madhya Marg, Dakshin Marg and other key routes. Despite the protest being announced in advance, many commuters felt the traffic management was inadequate, leading to heavy congestion across the city.
The Chandigarh Police had deployed security personnel and issued a traffic advisory before the protest. However, the measures failed to prevent long traffic snarls in several parts of the city.
Vehicles lined up for kilometres on Madhya Marg and roads passing through Sectors 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21. Office-goers, students and other commuters faced long delays.
"If the authorities knew about the protest in advance, they should have planned better traffic arrangements. The roads are completely jammed and vehicles are barely moving," said Rakesh, who was travelling towards Zirakpur.
The traffic disruption hit passengers travelling to the Chandigarh railway station and the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali the hardest, with many worrying about missing their trains and flights.
"We've been stuck here for almost an hour and the traffic hasn't moved," said a traveller caught in the jam near Sector 17 while on the way to the airport.
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