Finally! No more traffic snarls at Minsk Square

Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

 There’s good news in store for commuters who struggle to pass through the traffic-choked Minsk Square in the Central Business District. Traffic police have removed an ‘island’ that has jutted out onto the road, impeding vehicular movement for years, especially those proceeding towards Raj Bhavan Road from Cubbon Road. “We have demolished the bit that was projecting onto the road to facilitate smooth movement of traffic,’’ said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ravikanthe Gowda.

Minsk Square was re-designed and constructed by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) while constructing the Cubbon Park Metro Station more than a decade ago. The extra projection has been a hurdle to the smooth flow of traffic going towards the General Post Office (GPO) from both Cubbon Road as well as the Queen’s Statue (MG Road) side.

Traffic police, after identifying the extra projection of the island, wrote a letter to the BMRCL Chief Engineer on November 9, 2020 saying that this projecting bit has been hampering the smooth movement of vehicular traffic. The traffic police have advised the BMRCL to remove the extra projection up to six feet to avoid traffic jams at Minsk Square.

The traffic police said that not many vehicles pass through this junction due to the extra projection during the peak hours. Now that the projection has been removed, the six-foot space has to be asphalted.

Motorists have appreciated the traffic police’s efforts. “We have been struggling for years. Passing through this junction during peak hours is very difficult and traffic going towards Raj Bhavan slows down considerably. All these years, there was a danger of road accidents or vehicle collisions at this junction. We hope the problem will be sorted out in a few days,” said Ganesh S., a commuter.