Commuters stuck for hours as jams choke Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Chief minister DK Shivakumar’s whirlwind tour across the city to meet political allies and rivals ahead of his swearing-in ceremony Wednesday evening triggered the one thing Bengalureans dread most: Traffic snarls!

Despite advance advisories from traffic police and some schools in central business district adjusting their schedules, commuters were caught in crawling and standstill traffic for hours. Shivakumar’s surprise visits to senior leaders added to the congestion in north and south Bengaluru.

Around 11.20am, Shivakumar visited former CM and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa at his residence in Dollars Colony, Sanjaynagar. After spending nearly 30 minutes there, he proceeded to the Padmanabhanagar residence of former PM and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda. The movement of his convoy led to temporary traffic restrictions and slowdowns in surrounding areas.

The worst impact, however, was felt in central Bengaluru, where thousands of motorists were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, that lasted for nearly five hours before and after the swearing-in ceremony at Lok Bhavan. Raj Bhavan Road was closed to the public from morning, while roads leading to Vidhana Soudha and Raj Bhavan were barricaded at key junctions, including Queens Road near M Chinnaswamy Stadium and KR Circle.

Commuters were diverted through longer routes via Kasturba Road, Hudson Circle, Anil Kumble Circle and Shivajinagar, causing delays for those travelling towards Mehkri Circle, Hebbal, Yelahanka and Kempegowda International Airport.