Traffic near the Leela Bhawan Chowk at Bhupindra Road went haywire as the police installed barricades to block any gaps between the dividers. The move boomeranged and led to a heavy traffic jam in the area.
Stranded, among scores of commuters, was Prof Pankaj Mahindru, who said the authorities concerned had put-up the barricades without any intimation. “This is simply a bizarre move. A commuter heading from Amar Hospital Road and towards Khanda Chowk, Fountain Chowk or Gymkhana Club would have to take a detour from underneath the No. 22 fatak. The administration is aware that the width of the slip road near the flyover narrows and that patch of the road is broken due to the work of laying pipeline for the surface water project. This move has resulted in heavy traffic jam,” said Mahindru.
Other residents expressed a similar ordeal. They said that the diversions were made for streamlining traffic, but had the opposite effect. Some resident hailed the move and said the barricading eased the traffic jam opposite to the residence of the SSP and Deputy Commissioner.