Traffic jam haunts Bengaluru as Covid curbs are eased

Bengaluru: As the monthlong Covid restrictions were eased on Monday, Bengaluru roads were filled with vehicles.

Many vehicles coming from the neighbouring Hosur in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu were stuck in long queues at Attibele in Bengaluru.

The traffic expanded to Bommanahalli and Silk Board Junction.

Also, there was a heavy traffic jam at Freedom Park, Seshadripuram, Malleswaram, Town Hall, Richmond Road and Kempe Gowda Road right in the middle of the city.

There were traffic jams in Banashankari and areas near Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).

R Shankar, who witnessed heavy traffic on the road at Banashankari said, “The rush on the street is very scary as we may be inviting another wave of Covid-19.”

Key roads in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Hubballi too had heavy vehicular movement.

As the Karnataka government had imposed strict measures from May 10, it had given relaxations every day from 6 am to 10 am.

The relaxation has now been extended from 6 am to 2 pm daily except during weekends, in 19 districts where the number of Covid cases had significantly decreased.

Cabs and auto are not allowed to run on roads.

However, the strict measures are persistent in 11 districts where the positivity rate has not yet dipped. The relaxations there remain unchanged from 6 am to 10 am.