Traffic disrupted for hours in Bokaro

Bokaro: Traffic movement in Chas remained disrupted throughout Monday as a steady stream of candidates and their supporters kept arriving to at the office of subdivisional magistrate to file their nominations for the Feb 23 election.

The procession of candidates and their supporters block traffic movement on the NH-32 for several hours. Long queues were reported at the ITI intersection, a crucial junction, which stalled traffic movement on NH-23 as a handful of police personnel on duty were outnumbered by the swelling crowds.


Rajesh Kumar, commuter “I was stuck for more than an hour near the ITI intersection. The administration knew nominations were starting, yet there was no proper traffic plan.”

DSP Traffic said, “Policemen tried to normalise the traffic. Seeing today’s situation administration is all set to deploy magistrate, more police personnels from the police line and traffic policemen numbers will be increased.”

Adding to the commuters’ ordeal was dust and a foul stench from a nearby municipal waste dump at the ITI intersection, which intensified discomfort during the prolonged jam. The situation triggered widespread anger, with members of the public questioning the district administration’s preparedness despite prior knowledge of the nomination schedule. Anil Mahto, auto driver said “The dust and smell from the garbage dump made it worse. We earn daily wages, time lost is money lost.”

Although barricades and police deployment were in place at the SDM office gate, traffic control on adjoining roads remained ineffective. The arrival of mayor aspirants Bholu Paswan with a large number of supporters, followed by sizable processions accompanying candidates Vikas Pandey and Gajendra Prasad Himanshu, further worsened congestion. As the chaos continued, stranded commuters openly criticised the administration for poor planning and mismanagement. Sunita Devi, office-goer said “with so many candidates and supporters on the road, this was bound to happen. A few policemen cannot manage two national highways.”