India-West Indies match called off by rain, Bengaluru traffic gridlock till midnight

Protests, match and festivals bring Bengaluru traffic to a standstill

Traffic gridlock in Bengaluru’s Central Business District continued until almost midnight after the India-West Indies match was called off due to rain and spectators began leaving M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The city’s traffic disruption on Saturday followed a combination of protests, sporting events and festivals, with rain and parking restrictions adding to the pressure on key roads. Several stretches, including J.C. Road, M.G. Road, Hosur Road and Tumakuru Road, were choked with outstation buses trying to leave the city.

Stadium arrangements add to Central Bengaluru congestion

Several roads in Central Bengaluru were congested on Saturday evening. The police had made barricading arrangements around M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for the India-West Indies match.

Rain slowed traffic across the Central Bengaluru District, while parking restrictions further worsened the situation. The congestion continued after the match was called off due to rain, as spectators started leaving the stadium.

Traffic around Nrupathunga Road was also affected by Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s visit to the Director General of Police headquarters. The police also made arrangements around J.C. Road in connection with a protest called by the All India Students Association near Town Hall.

The barricades and arrangements for buses added to the congestion around the area. Together, the movement of buses, police arrangements and the protest affected traffic on important routes through the city.

Outstation buses stranded on major routes

Tumakuru Road near Goraguntepalya was gridlocked, with inter-district buses lining up on the road. Long queues of traffic were also reported near the exit point at Majestic.

In the southern part of Bengaluru, commuters travelling towards Chandapura were stuck in gridlock for more than three hours. Several commuters used social media to share details of their ordeal.

Keerthana M., a Koramangala resident travelling to her hometown of Hassan, said the bus she was travelling in was stuck within the city for almost two hours. She said the journey to her district took six hours.

“I took the bus around 3 p.m., thinking I would get out in the evening traffic but couldn’t escape,” she said.

Commuters report difficult Friday night journey

Many commuters claimed that travel on Friday night had been worse, with some saying it took over six hours to cross the city limits. An X user wrote that it took four hours to cover the stretch from Silk Board to Attibele on Friday night.

Traffic on Mysuru Road also crawled on Saturday, with several car users taking to the road. The reports from Friday night and Saturday showed that congestion affected both people trying to leave the city and commuters travelling across its southern and western routes.

City railway stations also witnessed an unusually large number of passengers. Manjunath, who boarded a train at SMVT station, described the conditions there as difficult.

“The situation was really bad, with all passengers pushing each other. It was a packed situation,” he said.

Source: The Hindu