City Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal on Saturday swung into action to regulate the crowd that had thronged the Labour Statue signal minutes before the convoy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was to arrive.
Traffic policemen had a tough time regulating traffic. After the end of a public event, the convoys of Mr. Amit Shah and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami were moving slowly as the leaders responded to the cheering crowd on Kamarajar Salai and Walajah Road.
Many citizens complained about traffic jams across the city because of the visit of Mr. Amit Shah. “People have to suffer every time a political leader visits the city. Though the police are aware of the visit and the schedule beforehand, it is surprising that no traffic arrangements were made,” said Prabhu, a resident of Adyar.
Many residents felt the Union Home Minister could have avoided the visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Traffic came to a standstill for nearly one hour on the GST Road near the airport. An ambulance was stuck. It is high time senior politicians understood the plight of the common man,” said A. Raghavan, a motorist who was stuck at Meenambakam.
Traffic was affected between 1.30 p.m and 3 p.m. on the GST Road near Alandur, Meenambakkam, Pallavaram and Pazhavanthangal that witnessed an unprecedented traffic snarl-up as the police stopped traffic for the movement of the convoy.
A couple of ambulances were reportedly struck in the gridlock.
