Bhubaneswar: Vehicular traffic at the bustling Master Canteen Square in the Capital came to a standstill as rallies brought out by different organisations blocked the thoroughfare for more than two hours Monday. Incidentally, police personnel deployed at the site remained mute spectators, while stranded commuters suffered.
The protestors took hostage of the road, as hundreds of two-wheelers and four-wheelers were struck in the jam, while people walked long distances to reach their destinations. Many commuters were seen arguing with the members of the agitating organizations, as they also blocked the footpaths at PMG Road. All this happened before the police, who found themselves helpless in bringing the situation under control.
As many as 10,000 members of the All Odisha Organisation of Master Book Keepers (MBK) and Community Resource Persons (CRPS) along with members of the other organisations like the Odisha Krushak Sathi Sangha, B ED Siksha Sahayak Sangha and others gathered there demanding fulfillment of their respective demands.
An auto-rickshaw driver, Prabhakar Mahapatra, who was trapped in the mesh told Orissa POST, “I was ferrying some passengers from Vani Vihar Square to Rajmahal Square but got stranded here for more than two-and-half hours. No policeman or traffic constable has interfered to clear the road yet.”
When asked to comment on the issue, the IIC Capital police station Manas Ranjan Garanaik said, “Today several thousand members of nine organsiations from across state congregated at the PMG Road for their rallies. We were standing at the Lower PMG Road ahead and could not control the traffic jam properly. The traffic blockade ended only after the protestors moved towards the Secretariat Road.”