Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Despite recent efforts by the traffic department to streamline movement in the congested areas of the old city by implementing one-way routes at six places, chaos prevailed on Thursday evening as several commuters ignored the new restrictions.
Motorcyclists were seen slipping through gaps in the newly installed barricades, leading to severe traffic jams at multiple points from Royal Market, Iqbal Maidan, to Peer Gate, and Moti Masjid.
The situation worsened during peak hours, prompting senior traffic officials to take control on the ground.
It is worth mentioning that the traffic police had identified six places where traffic flow was observed as heavy. These were: Royal Market Trisection, Imami Gate, Bhawani Chowk, Moti Masjid, Road towards Imambada, and Sindhi Market.
Traffic police installed barricades at these places with the help of the PWD. Officials divided several key roads into two sections using barricades to manage the heavy flow of vehicles.
Additional DCP (Traffic) Basant Kaul said that the department is determined to enforce the one-way rule strictly. “We have implemented the new traffic pattern to ease congestion, but public cooperation is equally important. The system will only improve when citizens themselves follow the rules,” he said.
Officials said that many routes were already one-way, but people avoided following them. Now, it will be implemented strictly.