The city witnessed massive traffic snarls on Friday around Apollo Hospitals on Greams Road, as AIADMK cadre thronged the hospital to get a glimpse of Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa.
Party leaders, Ministers and cadre started to gather near the hospital from the morning. The police barricaded Greams Road from Anna Salai in Thousand Lights to Pantheon Road junction, and security was stepped up. As the arterial roads around the hospital witnessed a chock-a-block, City Police Commissioner S. George came to the area and instructed the officials to regulate the traffic near Pantheon Road. Traffic jam near Greams Road cascaded into similar blocks on College Road, Sterling, Haddows Road, Nungambakkam High Road, Gopathy Narayanasamy Road. The arterial Anna Salai too witnessed heavy traffic.
Patients suffer
With Greams Road blocked, patients and their families faced difficulties in getting to the hospital, as their vehicles were not able to proceed and free access was restricted. Even pregnant women who visited Government Maternity Hospital, Egmore, had a tough time as bus services were suspended for a few hours in the morning.
Doctors at Apollo, however, said there had been no disruption in patient services.