Protest against petrol price hike disrupts traffic

CHENNAI: Traffic on arterial Nungambakkam High Road was severely affected for over an hour on Tuesday morning as members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) staged a protest against the petrol price hike in front of Indian Oil Bhavan. They finally dispersed after the police resorted to a mild lathi-charge.
Earlier, the police and the intelligence agencies had been caught completely offguard, with neither having a clue about the protest.The flow of traffic from Anna Nagar all the way to the Gemini flyover on Anna Salai was affected and moved at a snail's pace.
The protestors, who raised slogans against the Union government and the police for their alleged highhandedness, contended that the common man, already struggling to cope with the jacked-up prices of essential commodities, would be adversely affected by the recent hike in petrol prices. They vowed to fight until the price hike was withdrawn. Earlier, they burnt an effigy.
Meanwhile, hundreds of offices-bound motorists caught in the traffic snarls during the peak hour bore the brunt of the protest. "We are all with the protestors about making a noise against the hike of petrol prices but they should not do it on a main road and affect traffic flow," said R Gajendran, a motorist.
A number of vehicles travelling on the Chetpet bridge towards Shastri Bhavan and on to the Gemini flyover as well as those from Aminjikarai were stranded for over an hour.
At least two ambulances were stuck in the jam one near Loyola College and another on Khader Nawaz Khan Road in Nungambakkam. The traffic policemen on duty were a helpless lot as motorists jumped signals and it was difficult to keep down frayed tempers.
Autorickshaw drivers refused to ply on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Nungambakkam making it hard for commuters. Traffic flowing into Nungambakkam from Kodambakkam and Vadapalani too was affected.
The police had got no intelligence input on the strike, sources said.
Later in the day, CPM state secretary G Ramakrishan in a press statement condemned the lathi-charge against protesting DYFI members in Nungambakkam.