BJP rally causes traffic jams, commuters face disruptions

Barricading of various entry points to roads around Sector 12 caused traffic jams and snarls for most of the day.

The police had diverted traffic and halted the movement of heavy vehicles in the city due to the Jan Ashirwad rally, which was addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. Vehicles heading towards Sectors 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 were impacted by the traffic disruptions, with many having to take detours of about 2-km, according to local administration sources.

“No vehicle movement was allowed on designated roads between 9 am and 8 pm, leading to prolonged traffic jams throughout the day,” said Varun, a local resident.

Although the BJP leader arrived at the venue around 6 pm, the police had cordoned off an area of about one km around the site as part of security measures.

A large numbers of vehicles were stuck at various points, including the dividing roads of Sectors 10-12, 9-10, 10-11, 12-15, 13-14, the 7-10 Bata crossing and BPTP Chowk on the bypass road. Despite police deployment at several points to check entry and control vehicle flow near the rally venue, the closure of major roads led to chaos in many sectors, as vehicles were diverted to internal roads and streets, according to local resident Rakesh Kashyap.

Traffic on the national highway between Ballabhgarh and Prithla was also affected, as the police stopped hundreds of trucks and heavy vehicles, causing disruptions for several hours.

A police official said traffic diversions and controls were put in place for the Union Home Minister’s programme and had been announced in advance on Monday.