Motorists and commuters utilizing the Western Categorical Freeway in Mumbai bought caught in site visitors jams for almost 4 hours on Saturday. Flyers attempting to achieve the town airport have been amongst these majorly impacted by the site visitors jam.
Sources within the police division advised The Indian Categorical that supporters of a newly inducted BJP minister and different politicians had arrived on the metropolis airport on Saturday night unannounced in almost 500 automobiles to welcome them, thus inflicting a jam on the roads connecting the airport.
“This was not a pre-planned occasion, and we weren’t saved within the loop concerning this. The unannounced influx of politicians’ supporters and their automobiles precipitated site visitors jams close to the airport, and later it led to lengthy site visitors jams on the northbound stretch of the Western Categorical Freeway from Bandra to Goregaon. Goregaon to Andheri site visitors circulation was additionally impacted,” a senior police official stated.
Motorists have been seen pissed off and shocked on the identical time, because it was not a weekday, and there was additionally no massive public or political occasion lined up alongside the Western Categorical Freeway.
On the Western Categorical Freeway, Bandra, Kherwadi to Andheri and forward, there have been lengthy site visitors jams on either side of the freeway. The northbound stretch had comparatively longer jams with automobiles nearly coming to a standstill at some locations.
A police supply stated the BJP chief was alleged to arrive on the airport by 7 pm. His supporters in big numbers arrived on the airport, however the chief may come out of the airport solely after 9:30 pm. Due to this, his supporters waited on roads close to the airport, and their automobiles didn’t transfer, resulting in jams beneath Andheri Bridge. This additionally impacted each north- and south-bound automobile circulation beneath the Centaur Bridge and precipitated jams close to Bahar Junction.
A motorist caught within the jam stated it took him greater than two hours to achieve the airport from Bandra, which is just 5 km away.
Many individuals bought late in reaching the airport to catch their flights as their automobile bought caught within the lengthy jams.
A number of motorists got here out of their automobiles, curious to search out out what precisely precipitated such an surprising jam, that too on a weekend.
At sure factors, many motorists have been seen managing site visitors jams in order that their automobiles may go.
Many voters took to social media and expressed their anger over the ‘poor’ administration by the site visitors police.
Columnist Nisha Jamvwal posted on X, “@mumbaitraffic #Magdeburg SOS. What’s the drawback with the airport #WesternExpressHighway right now at this second? My associates have been caught for the final two hours and quarter-hour on the identical spot. Why should now we have such trauma on a #saturdaynight?
One other X consumer, Durwas Rane, shared pictures and movies of the site visitors jams and posted, “Horrible site visitors close to Mumbai airport – Western Categorical Freeway (standstill site visitors southbound, very slow-moving site visitors on the north facet). No clue what the rationale for this site visitors was. #MumbaiTraffic #WEH.”
Political activist Brian D’Souza tagged the CM’s workplace, the Mumbai site visitors police, and the police commissioner, and shared a video put up on X with a message saying, “Situation of Western Categorical Freeway. The automobile isn’t transferring close to Mumbai airport. Folks strolling on the categorical freeway to go residence.”
Confirming the congestion, a senior officer stated that supporters of the politician didn’t inform the Mumbai Site visitors Police of his arrival upfront, following which almost 600 automobiles, each four-wheelers and two wheelers, turned as much as welcome him close to the airport. The officer stated that the jam had a “cascading impact” and shortly resulted in a site visitors jam all through the Western Categorical Freeway.
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