Massive traffic gridlock paralyses old city areas

 

 

 

 

A massive traffic jam brought parts of Bhopal’s old city to a standstill on Friday afternoon, causing severe inconvenience to commuters, students and railway passengers. The worst-hit areas included Bharat Talkies, Ashoka Garden and the roads surrounding Bhopal Railway Station, where vehicles were stuck in gridlock for over 2 to 3 hours. The traffic chaos, which unfolded on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, disrupted the movement of hundreds of people trying to reach their destinations. Several passengers missed trains or were delayed significantly while trying to reach the railway station from Platform No. 1 and Platform No. 6 entrances. Students returning home from schools were also caught in the traffic snarl, with school buses stuck in long, unmoving lines of vehicles.

 

The situation was further worsened by ongoing Metro rail construction, cement concrete road work near Bharat Talkies, and a sudden surge in school bus movement, all converging during peak afternoon hours. With many residents trying to catch trains to their hometowns for the Rakhi festival, the roads were overcrowded, and tempers ran high. Commuters expressed frustration over the lack of traffic police presence in such a critical area. “There was not a single officer managing the traffic at key junctions.

 

The jam kept getting worse, and people were left to figure their own way out,” said Arun Mehra, a daily commuter who was stuck near the Ashoka Garden 80 feet road. Parents of school children also raised concerns as buses remained immobile for over an hour in some locations. “My son’s school bus got stuck for two hours near Bharat Talkies. There was no way to even reach him on foot,” shared Nandita Verma, a parent. Local residents say such traffic jams are becoming a regular occurrence due to unplanned construction work and poor traffic management. “This is no longer an exception, it has become the new normal in the area.

 

The authorities need to step in before it becomes worse,” said Shakeel Ahmed, a shopkeeper near the station road. Despite the city’s rapid infrastructure development, Friday’s incident exposed the urgent need for better co-ordination between construction agencies and traffic authorities. Without adequate planning and on-ground regulation, citizens fear that Bhopal’s traffic situation may continue to spiral out of control, especially during festivals and peak travel days.