From morning, politicians and people started queuing up to garland the statue of Muthuramalinga Thevar at Nandanam junction. The crowd spilled over along Anna Salai, with people bursting crackers , often in the midst of stranded vehicles.
Police blocked regular traffic between Teynampet and Saidapet. Traffic diversions caused pile-ups all the way to Adyar, Kathipara and Thousand Lights. Motorists spent hours stuck on roads and bylanes, many till late in the evening.
Police said traffic jams were cleared after 4pm. They diverted traffic from 7am, anticipating snarls on Anna Salai. At least100 traffic police personnel and 300 law and order personnel were deployed at Teynampet, SIET junction, Cenotaph Road, Chamiers Road, Nandanam, and Saidapet.
Additional commissioner of police of Chennai city traffic Pradip Kumar, joint commissioner of police of south Chennai PK Senthilkumari, deputy commissioner of police P Kumar monitored the traffic movements.
The police used barricades to prevent people from driving up to the statue at Nandanam. They had to park on the roadsides and walk to the site. This added to the chaos on the roads as vehicles were parked haphazardly, eating into the motorway.
Bhama, a resident of Kottur, said: “It took at least two hours for me from Kotturpuram to reach Cosmopolitan Club at Saidapet.” Many said it would have been worse if the event was on a weekday.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/thevar-jayanthi-celebration-brings-chennai-traffic-to-a-standstill/articleshow/87414405.cms
