LAHORE: Traffic remained at a halt at Lahore’s major roads due to a protest by the Tahafuz e Namoos e Risalat Muhaz on Monday whom traveled across the road.
Commuters were disturbed by the traffic blockades and found themselves stationary on the city’s main arteries for hours at a stretch. Traffic at The Mall, Davis road, Bhatti gate, Jail Road and Ferozepur Road was choked as the rally proceeded towards the CM House.
During the same period, traffic was also choked for more than two hours near Data Darbar – Ring road as commuters were provided no alternate routes to reach their respective destinations.
Governor choked at China Chowk: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was among those affected by the traffic jam. The Governor was stuck at China Chowk but was able to make a path out for himself out of the congested roads. Traffic police claimed the failure to control traffic flow fell upon the failure of coordination between the district government and rally organizers.
PRO Traffic Police Ali Nawaz told Pakistan Today that rally organizers deviates from the set route and put the security plan given to traffic police into disarray. “The protestors blocked the Lower Mall for over one hour,” he said, “this was not scheduled.”
However Nawaz confirmed that according to his estimates the over one hundred and sixty wardens deployed to control the traffic flow should have been able to control the traffic flow and followed the divergence plan for traffic traveling routes between China Chowk and Governor House, Kashmir road and Avari Hotel, Data Darbar and Ring road.
As a result, traffic from Ferozepur Road and Shadman flowed into China Chowk and blocked the road leading upto the Governor House. Ammar Ahmad, a commuter, talking to Pakistan Today said,”there was no divergence plan. This is why the traffic halted.
It regularly takes me only 10 minutes to reach the PTCL office at Edgerton Road but it took me one hour today.” Khayyam, another commuter who suffered the traffic woes, expressed his anger on the frequent traffic jams that marked the city and especially the Mall. “Traffic wardens are too blame,” he said.
Traffic wardens are supposed to manage the traffic flow. Nauman, talking to Pakistan Today said, that a turn from Jail Road onto the Canal Bank road left him in a traffic jam which left him 2 hrs late for work. “The traffic flowed at turtles pace,” he said.
