Nagpur: Motorists had a harrowing time in west Nagpur on Thursday as traffic crawled for several hours following closure of six roads leading to the Morris College T-point in view of the Shahid Gowari Diwas tribute programme. Even though traffic police led by DCP (traffic) Chetna Tidke had issued an advisory on Wednesday, thousands of vehicles remained stranded on various roads including East High Court Road, Kingsway, Sadar, North Ambazari Road and Amravati Road.The traffic police had declared a 12-hour shutdown, from 6am to 6pm, of the Shahid Gowari flyover, and prohibited vehicles on roads from Zero Mile to Morris College T-point, RBI to Morris T-Point, Variety Square to Morris T-Point, Manas Square to Morris T-point and Forest office to Zero Mile.The traffic advisory had appealed to motorists to avoid these roads but there was no clarity on diversions, resulting in cops deployed at junctions being overwhelmed. Traffic was moving at a snails pace even on the West High Court Road, which is far from the Shahid Gowari Smarak. Majority of the problem was caused due to banning of vehicular movement on both directions from Variety Square to Samvidhan Square and closing the flyover. According to motorists, allowing vehicles coming from Wardha Road a left turn at Freedom Park junction could have helped.There were long queues of cars, autorickshaws and two-wheelers stranded on Mount Road in Sadar, Residency Road and Kingsway. Citizens had anxious moments reaching the railway station, hospitals and workplaces on time.The traffic snarls on East High Court Road extended from Bole Petrol Pump Square to Kachipura Square. Chaos was also seen on Central Avenue, Cotton Market Road, Sitabuldi Road, Panchsheel Square to Mehadiya Square up to Munje Chowk and beyond.Motorists alleged that not a single traffic cop was seen at important intersections like Vidhan Bhavan Square, Institute of Science Square and others. Cops had to switch off traffic signals at several junctions to ease congestion. Ambulances were stuck in the traffic jam on Ramdaspeth Canal Road. Parking along roads added to the chaos. The traffic police should have at least ensured no parking on roads for a day, said Shashin Chokse, a motorist. App-based cab aggregators hiked fares citing traffic diversions. According to Tejinder Singh Renu, secretary of Vidarbha Taxpayers Association, citizens are facing frequent traffic jams and chaos on roads due to the restrictions put in place for political and religious programmes, events and processions which seem to be increasing by the year.

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