Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Heavy barricading at 11-Mill Tiraha for the farmers' march triggered massive traffic snarls along the Hoshangabad Road (National Highway-46) stretch for several hours on Tuesday.
Barricades were erected to prevent participants in the march from entering Bhopal city, leaving only a narrow passage for vehicles and severely disrupting traffic movement.
Farmers were marching from Narmadapuram to Bhopal, demanding 100% procurement of moong at the Minimum Support Price (MSP), the scrapping of the e-token system and fertiliser distribution based on land records.
Police tightened security at entry points to the state capital and closely monitored the farmers' movement.
Public transport was among the worst affected, with around 150 bus operations disrupted.
The Bhopal City Link Ltd (BCLL) said 26 of its buses were affected - 20 operating on the Bhopal-Mandideep route and six on the Bag Mugalia, Danish Nagar and Laharpur routes.
The Motor Transport Association claimed the barricading disrupted around 150 bus operations, including city bus services. Govind Sharma, general secretary of the association, said, "Around 150 buses, including city buses, were affected due to the barricading and traffic jam at 11-Mill in Bhopal."
Long-distance passenger buses operating from the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) towards Hoshangabad and Mandideep were also delayed. School buses, too, remained stuck in the congestion.
Vehicles were diverted to alternate routes to ease congestion, while traffic police personnel were deployed at key intersections.
However, heavy traffic volume and road restrictions resulted in slow-moving traffic along the Hoshangabad Road stretch for several hours.
Residents said the congestion brought traffic to a near standstill on the Hoshangabad Road stretch.
Sunil Upadhyaya, a resident of Sriram Colony, said, "Heavy barricading and police restrictions due to the ongoing farmers' march have triggered severe traffic congestion, slowing vehicular movement to a crawl on key arterial roads along Hoshangabad Road."
Fuel station operators in the area also reported severe congestion during the restrictions.
Ajay Singh, president of the Petrol Pump Dealers Association, who operates a fuel station near 11-Mill, said, "Heavy traffic congestion due to the barricading and the narrow passage created by police deployment severely slowed traffic. Vehicles heading towards Mandideep were the worst affected."
