Police check vehicles ahead of rath yatra

AHMEDABAD: As commuters entered the city, they will be greeted with barricades and policemen stopping vehicles from proceeding. This is part and parcel of the juggernaut rolling on the city streets during rath yatra. However, this year, the ordeal will be less frustrating as the police plan to put up banners at major roads informing commuters about diversion points.
Talking about the initiative, Dinesh Parmar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), told TOI that they had earlier tried the scheme during Muharram, when walled city areas were closed to vehicular traffic. "As we got positive feedback, we have decided to apply the same strategy for this rath yatra. While the entire route of yatra will be barred for general vehicles, at times drivers don't know where to go. Some stretches will be opened once the chariots pass, others will remain closed for the return journey," said Parmar.
The city traffic policemen said that the traffic diversion scheme will come into effect from 7am to 9pm on Wednesday. The major areas from where diversions have been provided include Jamalpur, Raikhad, Khadia, Sarangpur, Kalupur, Saraspur, Shahpur, Dariapur and Manek Chowk. In all these areas, the police have identified alternative routes and have alerted the traffic police to divert the traffic accordingly.