Thiruvananthapuram city fell into the clutches of hours-long traffic congestion as it witnessed a mammoth march taken out to the Raj Bhavan under the aegis of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on Tuesday.
The demonstration, which the LDF claims to have seen the participation of over a lakh people, brought vehicular flow to a standstill in certain parts of the city for at least three hours.
Despite its initial announcement that traffic would be regulated as early as 8 a.m., the city police chose to enforce the restrictions two hours later to enable unhindered passage for the office and school goers.
Nevertheless, numerous vehicles that were headed for areas, including Vellayambalam, Sasthamangalam and Kowdiar, were diverted during the demonstration. Several vehicles including ambulances were caught in the slow-moving traffic that could be restored to normalcy only around 3 p.m.
While a majority of the protesters marched from near the Museum premises, smaller rallies came from Nandavanam, Vellayambalam and Manaveeyam Veedhi. These rallies converged at the protest venue that was erected around 50 m away from the Raj Bhavan.
With the crowd that stretched between the venue and the Vellayambalam junction nearing uncontrollable proportions, both the police and the LDF leadership instructed participants who commenced their rallies late to halt at their respective positions.
Some educational institutions, particularly those located near the affected areas, had declared holiday in anticipation of the traffic congestion.
Security beefed up
The police had bolstered security in front of the Raj Bhavan and at various points along the march. Nearly 500 police personnel supervised by two Assistant Commissioners of Police were deployed as part of the measures.
The police also enhanced surveillance in the vicinity of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have been holding indefinite agitation against the Mayor over an alleged letter. Demonstrations that were held outside the Corporation premises were shifted within the compound to avoid a potential confrontation with the LDF agitators who were passing by.
