Wary of any mobilisation of youth protesting against the NEET on the lines of the pro-jallikattu protests in January, the city police on Monday closed the Anna Nagar Link Road in the city, leading to traffic snarls and congestion in many places.
The abrupt closure of the road, the venue of the pro-jallikattu protests, in the morning took motorists by surprise. Not wanting to take any chances owing to the student protests across the city, the police placed steel barricades on either end of the road – near the MGR statue junction and the Uyyakondan bridge.
A strong posse of police was posted near the MGR Statue junction. A police vehicle fitted with a dome camera for surveillance was also moved in.
Police pickets posted on the other side of the road also. Nine youth, who reportedly came to stage a protest at the place, were taken into custody.
Traffic headed towards MGR Statue junction from Bharathidasan Salai was diverted near the Cantonment police station to go via Reynolds Road and Lawsons Road.
Vehicles headed towards Shastri Road were diverted via Puthur Main Road and Pattabiraman Pillai Street.
The diversions caused traffic snarls at Reynolds Road, Lawsons Road, the Puthur Madhuram Hospital intersection and Pattabiraman Pillai Street. In the absence of any traffic police, the Pattabiraman Pillai Street – Uzhavar Sandhi intersection witnessed huge pile-up of vehicles right through the day.
Mofussil buses and heavy vehicles struggled to pass through the narrow intersection.