Downpour spells misery in city

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 24

Commuters faced a tough as a majority of the roads remained closed till afternoon on account of the inauguration ceremony of Shaheed Nand Singh Chowk (Fauji Chowk) here on Monday. Besides, downpour in the day added to their woes.

A large number of police personnel and Armymen were deployed on various roads in the city for the inauguration of the recently revamped roundabout (Fauji Chowk). To manage traffic effectively, barricades were also set up.

Traffic bottlenecks were witnessed on main roads and interiors stretches, causing inconvenience to residents.

Commuters stuck in traffic were left high and dry on the Bathinda-Mansa highway, Biwi Wala Road, Mall Road and Ajit Singh Road. As entire traffic was diverted from Bathinda-Mansa Road and Biwi Wala Road to 100 Feet Road, the stretch to Shaheed Ajit Singh Chowk witnessed traffic jams in the day.

Routes of heavy vehicles, including buses, were also diverted from Biwi Wala Chowk and Bathinda-Mansa highway via 100 Feet Road.

In such a scenario, managing traffic proved to be a tough task for traffic cops. They could be seen making efforts to streamline traffic.

Waterlogged roads increased the problems of the commuters. Heavy vehicles moved at a slow pace.

Students were harried a lot as school buses had to take different routes and negotiate way through narrow lanes in interiors parts of the city.

Sunil Kumar, the driver of a school bus, said, “Owing to the diversion, it took me a lot of time to drop children at their homes as normal routes were diverted on Monday, Besides, traffic snarls added to the woes. Students were also uncomfortable as they had to wait for long time.”

Sukhdev Singh, another driver of a school van, said he had to drive around 10 km extra to drop students at their homes.

Patients also bore the brunt of traffic chaos as ambulances had to take longer routes to ferry them to hospitals. A few ambulances even got stuck in traffic on Monday.

Amarinder Singh, who accompanied a patient, Ajmer Singh, from Kotha Guru village faced a lot of tough time. Ajmer was to be operated upon at a private hospital on Mall Road. But their car got stuck in traffic on Bathinda-Mansa Road.

An ambulance driver, who ferried a patient to the Civil Hospital from Naruana Road, said he had to travel extra and even wait amid traffic snarls on different roads in the city.