TIRUCHY: A road safety awareness rally turned into a major traffic bottleneck at the MGR statue roundabout in Tiruchy on Tuesday, causing long vehicle queues and severe inconvenience to commuters, office-goers and school students. The rally, organised during peak office hours, has raised questions about traffic planning and crowd management at one of the city's busiest intersections.
The MGR statue roundabout is a key junction in Tiruchy, connecting roads leading to MGM government hospital, district court, district collectorate, old central bus and Chathiram bus stand. Several schools, hospitals, and temples are also located nearby, making it one of the most congested areas in the city. Motorists routinely face heavy traffic at this roundabout, especially during peak hours.
On Tuesday, the city police planned a road safety awareness rally as part of Road Safety Month, aimed at educating the public about road safety and the importance of wearing helmets. To conduct the rally, around 1,200 students, along with police personnel and officers, were brought to the MGR statue well in advance by 9 am. The rally commenced at 10 am. The road near the roundabout was blocked about an hour before the event, leading to severe traffic disruption. Commuters were stuck in traffic for nearly an hour, between 9.30 am and 10.30 am.
The rally was flagged off by City Commissioner of Police N Kamini. It began near the MGR Statue and concluded at the head post office. During the event, traffic was affected on Students' road, EVR Road, Bharathidasan Road and Major Saravanan Road. Speaking to TNIE, M Devi, an employee at the district collectorate, said, "I was stuck in traffic for nearly half an hour. It delayed my arrival at the office and caused a lot of inconvenience."
Another commuter, S Ravi, said, "The city already faces traffic congestion due to political protests and rallies. This police-organised event added to the problem. The city police should stop holding rallies in such busy areas." When contacted, a city police official said, "We cannot bring students before 8 am or after 10 am, as it would affect school timings. The rally was scheduled to minimise academic disruption. Traffic was affected only for a short time."