PM visit: Residents, students bear the brunt of VVIP movement

Residents found themselves at the receiving end today due to a heavy VVIP movement in the city in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit for an event at Punjab Engineering College (PEC), where he dedicated the successful implementation of the three new criminal laws to the nation.

Modi took chopper to reach venue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the city to review the progress of three newly introduced criminal laws aimed at overhauling India’s criminal justice system. Modi, who flew from the National Capital to the technical airport here, reached the Rajindra Park helipad in Sector 1 by an Mi-17 helicopter, and then travelled by road to PEC, which is less than a km away from the park.

Long queues of vehicles were seen at various junctions, including Sector 11, Sector 18-19, Sector 20 and Sector 33, and the Panjab University road.

While the road leading to Punjab Engineering College (PEC) was closed, the gate near the new OPD at the PGIMER remained partially open for public. The traffic from the PEC road was diverted towards Sector 11 once the VVIP cavalcade entered the venue of the event. A heavy traffic police force was deployed on the route of the VVIP movement.

In the afternoon, when the VVIP cavalcade was leaving the venue, students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10, were asked to wait inside the school premises as a precautionary measure till the cavalcade passed. Not only the students, but those going towards Nayagaon had to wait for a while. The buses, which carried students and attendees to the venue, were also parked on the road near Sector 11, which also affected the smooth flow of traffic in the evening.

“It’s a complete harassment. It is such a long queue. We are stuck for the past 10 minutes and the traffic is still not moving,” said Ananad, a commuter caught in the snarl-up at Sector 20.

“The police regulated the traffic manually. It was tough for them also, but the movement of any VIP makes people suffer. The situation would have been worse had the PM taken the road route to the venue,” added Rahul, a youngster awaiting passage near Tribune Chowk. Snarl-ups also affected the timings of interstate buses.

In order to avoid any inconvenience to students, some school managements had rescheduled the closing time while many opted to conduct online classes.

“While the PM flew to a place near the venue, other VVIPs travelled by road. The cavalcade consisted of Governors, political leaders, bureaucrats and others who received the PM at the airport. In the evening, the same cavalcade went to see him off at the airport,” said an official seeking anonymity.