Allahabad: An opportunity to drive without traffic restrictions on a weekend turned out to be a nightmare for local citizens who visited Kumbh Mela on Sunday, as the unprecedented rush led to hours-long jams in various areas.Areas like Old GT Road, New Yamuna Bridge, Jail Road, Harshvardhan Crossing, Daraganj and Alopibagh were worst affected by Sunday’s traffic mess.A lot of rush was seen in many areas inside the Mela ground as well. Some visitors who had come to the Mela ground to spend their weekend ended up getting stuck in jams spanning over two hours.“Vehicles were seen moving at a snail’s pace on Old GT Road, Jhunsi road, Arail Road, Sangam marg and Harihar Arti Road. We had no option but to spend over two hours while manoeuvring our way through the traffic,” said Anjali, one of the commuters. The Mela police blamed the rush of pilgrims during the weekend and an increase in the number of private vehicles plying on routes leading up to the Kumbh-2019 venue for the jams.“As Sunday was a holiday, my family and I had planned to visit the Kumbh Mela by car. We were trapped in a jam for more than two hours right outside the Mela ground,” said local resident Harsh Kesarwani.He said there were just a handful of traffic policemen trying to handle the chaos.Another visitor, Piyush Srivastava, said “We wasted a lot of time as we were trapped in a snarl for hours. It took us more than three hours to reach Sangam area from Civil Lines.”Commuters coming from Naini and adjoining areas were trapped in a jam at Leprosy Crossing, Jail road and Agriculture Institute Road. Similarly, snarls were also reported near Allahapur Road, Hashimpur, Tagoretown, Buxi Bandh, and adjoining streets.A senior Mela traffic police official, said, “After the traffic restrictions imposed for a series of VIPs visits recently, this was the first opportunity local citizens got to visit the Kumbh Mela. The fact that it was a Sunday only added to the rush.”“The rush was unprecedented and most of the visitors arrived in their own cars and vehicles. There is limited space on streets and hence the streets were clogged. Later, additional police teams were roped in to clear the routes especially the entry and exit points to the Mela ground,” he added.

Stay updated with all the Allahabad Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.