PM Modi takes aerial route, but Bengaluru traffic still hit

BENGALURU: The traffic diversions in the city by the Bengaluru Traffic Police during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit resulted in traffic snarls in some parts of the city, though the PM took the aerial route for travelling. With PM Modi using a military helicopter to reach venues, the traffic police had prohibited the movement of vehicles for a few hours on several roads, wherever there would be probable movement of the PM cavalcade in compliance with the protocol. 

Vehicles were stuck for more than an hour. Commuters had a tough time on the busy Mysuru Road, Hebbal, Thanisandra Main Road, Mekhri Circle, and its surrounding areas, as the movement of vehicles was barred.

The traffic snarls on Monday were relatively less compared to the usual experience of commuters during VVIP visits. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) BR Ravikanthegowda said that movement of vehicles was smooth across the city except for a few places where the snarls were cleared soon. “The police managed the traffic well and were monitoring the situation at the Traffic Management Centre. Except for the Mysuru Road, traffic was normal in other places”.

Metro halts twice

Metro trains on a stretch of the Purple Line halted twice due to security reasons when the PM’s convoy was passing. “Since the Metro corridor along this route is at an elevated level and trains are running above, it would be deemed a security risk for the PM. We stopped the trains briefly twice, once when the PM went to the BASE University and when he was returning from there. The stoppage time was a maximum of 5 minutes in both directions,” Anjum Parwez, MD, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) told TNIE. 

The MD added, “It was a perfect synchronisation between the traffic police and BMRCL. When the convey left from Komaghatta to Jnanabharathi, we received the message and stopped trains from Kengeri to Jnanabharathi station.”