Amid the downpour, traffic in the periphery of Phase-8B, Mohali, came to a standstill for several hours on Tuesday evening as heavy traffic from multiple intersections converged on the same stretch while the traffic lights went out, and there were barely any traffic personnel present on ground to manage the chaos.
Commuters reported being stuck in the jam for nearly three to four hours to cover a distance of just a kilometre, that on normal days, would take them about 5 to 10 minutes to navigate even during peak office hours.
Rahul Chhabra, owner of an IT firm in the vicinity, said, “My office is in the Industrial Area, Phase 8B. The entire area was choked due to traffic. Vehicles had stopped completely and people even switched off their engines. The road leading towards Sector 91 and the Airport Road was gridlocked. I had to walk the entire stretch to reach the main road from my office.”
The gridlock wasn’t cleared even till 10.30 pm at night.
Mohali superintendent of police, traffic, Navneet Mahal, said, “Our teams were on ground to assess the situation.”
Traffic in-charge Mohit Sharma said that police teams were deployed immediately after receiving information about the traffic build-up. “Our teams were deputed at key points and the congestion was cleared. PCR teams were also sent to regulate traffic and assist commuters,” he said.
