Kolkata: The Kolkata Police did a commendable job on Friday by managing lakhs of Trinamool Congress supporters who came from various parts of the state to take part in the Martyrs’ Day (Sahid Divas) programme at Esplanade. The elaborate arrangements by the Kolkata Police were successful in keeping the roads free from congestion throughout the day. The advanced traffic plan and effective crowd management helped office goers reach their destinations hassle-free.
As it was a weekday, it became challenging for the cops to provide safe passage for the buses and cars going to Esplanade while also ensuring congestion-free movement for passenger buses.
The police had earmarked a few routes for vehicles converging at the meeting venue to ensure the other roads do not get clogged by any means. Vehicles followed the earmarked route and traffic movement was absolutely normal.
The entire area in and around the meeting venue was under the coverage of surveillance cameras ensuring that there were no untoward incidents.
After the meeting was over, all the buses and cars that had come from other districts left the city without any congestion. The cops provided necessary guidance to people so that they could return home without facing any trouble.
However, daily commuters were troubled in the first half of Friday as buses in most routes within the city and suburbs had been taken off the road. Some were booked by the workers for the Martyrs’ Day rally at Esplanade and a few were kept off the road considering the less number of daily commuters choosing to step out on the day. An owner said that there may be a few more services in the evening but the situation will go back to normal only on Saturday.
In the absence of buses, Metro became the saviour for commuters. According to Metro Railway officials, a total of 3,04,928 passengers travelled in North-South Metro till 3 pm on Friday which was 23,000 more than usual weekday footfalls.
Esplanade Metro Station was particularly crowded because it was near the venue. Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel ensured that no untoward incident took place as well as guided workers and supporters to their respective destinations.