Traffic diversion to airport draws ire of netizens

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the city, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has blocked the entry of public vehicles on flyovers connecting to the city with the Kempegowda International Airport along with many other roads including Vidhana Soudha and Raj Bhavan in order to make way for the smooth movement of the PM and his convoy here.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Traffic North Division, Savitha S, on Thursday said that the citizens have been requested to plan their travels and use alternate roads to reach the airport instead of the Airport Corridor between 8 am to 5 pm.

"Alternative routes from Hennur to Begur Backgate via Kothanur can be used by the airport passengers to reach the airport," she added. However several netizens expressed disappointment over the restrictions of public vehicles on the airport flyover for the VIP movement.

"These VIPs should also experience true traffic jams like all the residents, why clear the roads for them. Common people's work isn't work? Yesterday also airport Road was blocked in between for some time," a netizen posted. Later Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Ravikanthe Gowda clarified that the entry to the Airport Corridor is restricted to the public vehicles and not banned.

"It is due to the possibility of a change in weather conditions that we have taken this step," he said. A notification shared by the BTP earlier had stated that vehicular traffic will be blocked from 8 am to 2 pm at CTO Junction, GPO circle, Raj Bhavan Road, Basaveshwara Circle, Palace Road, Race Course Road, Sanket Road, Queens Road, Bellary Road, Airport Expressway, Sheshadri Road, KG Road, Vittal Mallya Road and roads near Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in the city.

Ravikanthe Gowda has requested the people travelling from Mysore Bank Circle to Palace Road can use KG Road. A diversion had been made for the vehicle moving towards Windsor Manor should take a left turn at Shivananda Circle and drive through Nehru Circle.

Those going to Cauery junction from Bashyam Circle, can take Malleswaram 18th cross Road. Vehicles travelling from Balekundri Circle towards Majestic can do so by taking the Cunningham Road, he said.