Padyatra brings Nagpur to a standstill, hospital and airport commuters stuck for hours

A padyatra taken out in Nagpur during the festival days had its biggest impact on the city's traffic. The jam that began on Thursday evening continued late into the night. Long queues of vehicles formed from the major squares to the inner roads. Office-goers, relatives of patients, travellers and traders were all affected. People also questioned the traffic police's planning.

Because of the padyatra, traffic on the city's main routes was thrown into disarray on Thursday evening. On Wardha Road, a long line of vehicles stood between Kripalani Chowk and Chhatrapati Chowk. Vehicles were also stuck at several points around Ajni railway station, Mokshdham, Ghat Road, Medical Chowk, Ashok Chowk, Mahal and Central Avenue.

Office-goers returning home after work in the evening had to remain stranded on the road for hours. Travellers heading for the railway station and the airport also had to rush about. Motorists who tried to escape the jam by taking other routes were stuck there as well.

Patients and their relatives heading for hospitals in the Dhantoli area bore the brunt of the jam. With queues of vehicles on the inner roads too, ambulances found it difficult to get through. Traffic slowed on Dikshabhoomi Road, Laxmi Nagar Chowk, VIP Road, Seminary Hills, Dikshabhoomi Chowk and the stretch from Atharasta Chowk to Ganesh Nagar Chowk.

People remained stuck in the jam for many hours, and they said the arrangements had not succeeded as expected in bringing the situation under control. Traffic police were present at some places, but the long queues of vehicles were not shrinking. This raised questions about the police's advance preparations.

Some trade associations had put up stages at different places to welcome the padyatra. But the same padyatra stopped the movement of customers in the markets, and traders suffered financial losses. In the middle of the festive season, it became difficult even for customers to reach shops. Traffic remained stuck for several hours in the Dharampeth market, so traders and shopkeepers could only wait for customers.

Traders expressed displeasure that padyatras should have been put off at a time of such crowds. A reaction also emerged that those who speak of the financial losses suffered in Delhi should also think of the difficulties faced by Nagpur's traders and ordinary people. Many motorists thought it better to turn their vehicles around and go home rather than stay stuck in the jam. As a result, the talk in the city was more about the trouble people faced than about the padyatra itself.