PNS | DEHRADUN
Commuters experienced traffic congestion in Dehradun on Saturday due to the diversion of routes for the counting of votes polled in the urban local body (ULB) election. They claimed that activities such as vote counting should not be held in the city center to minimise disruptions to traffic flow.
Notably, the ULB elections took place across the State on January 23. The counting of votes was organised at Rangers College on Saturday. To ensure security around the counting location, routes were redirected on the said day from Lansdowne Chowk and other interconnected roads, leading to increased traffic congestion. Additionally, a considerable crowd gathering in support of the elected candidates was also observed outside the vote-counting venue, further contributing to the traffic issues. However, police authorities have been actively managing the situation by establishing barriers to control the crowd.
Considering the challenges faced by commuters, Vijay Kumar said that he was caught in traffic near Indira Market for the past half hour, which has caused delays in reaching his destination. The route diversion due to the counting of votes for the ULB election, coupled with the crowd of candidates and other individuals in the area, has led to significant traffic congestion, which is problematic for commuters like him. He said that authorities should address this issue and organise such activities in peripheral areas of the city rather than at its centre.
“I needed to arrive at my office by 11 AM; however, the route diversion for the vote counting has caused considerable traffic congestion. This congestion has hindered my timely arrival at work. I believe the authorities should develop a traffic management plan that minimises disruptions for citizens,” said another commuter, Kiran Rathore.
Many other commuters have echoed similar concerns regarding the traffic congestion in the city resulting from the route diversion for the counting of votes.
