BENGALURU: Dress rehearsals for the biennial Aero India 2023 on Saturday morning brought agony to Bengaluru in the form of a severe traffic jam on Ballari Road. It wrecked plans of those planning to witness the event and those who didn’t, besides delaying several ambulances with critical patients from reaching hospitals.
Lack of coordination between the Department of Defence Production under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Bengaluru Traffic police is being blamed for it. Sources in the MoD told TNSE that a precise estimation of crowds expected at Air Force Station Yelahanka (AFSY), the venue of the five-day biennial Aero India 2023, for the full dress rehearsal on Saturday morning, was not conveyed to senior traffic police officials. Several global and domestic defence vendors displaying their wares at the event are worried after the pulverizing traffic jam ruined supply deadlines to get ready in time for the event to begin on February 13.
DCP (Traffic-North) Sachin Ghorpade said the traffic police were informed about only around 3,000 people coming to watch the dress rehearsals, but around 50,000 arrived. “Around 11,000 vehicles, more than the regular traffic, caused the problem. Usually, the public coming to the show are given entry through 12-13 gates in different places. But on Saturday, everyone was given entry through just 3-4 gates on a single road,” he said, adding no restrictions or diversions were put in place.
Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) MA Saleem, however, said traffic drills will be conducted on Sunday to put in place a plan to prevent such a traffic gridlock from occurring when the event begins on Monday.