Patna, Aug. 14: As you get ready to celebrate Independence Day, be prepared to take detours if your destination is near Gandhi Maidan. Police will enforce a number of diversions to take care of the security as well as manage the traffic on the big day.

When the green zone in the heart of the city will host the parade tomorrow, vehicles will not be allowed to access roads that lead to Gandhi Maidan. The entire stretch from Income Tax roundabout to Children’s Park will be out of bounds.

From the Children’s Park, cars would be diverted towards Golghar.

“Those who wish to go from Patna Junction to Gandhi Maidan should go past Dakbungalow roundabout and take Bhattacharya Road. Then, they can enter Exhibition Road,” a police officer said.

“In the Baripath area, the roads will be open only for vehicles on the eastern flank. They can take Govind Mitra Road and then enter Ashok Rajpath, if they want to reach Gandhi Maidan,” he added.

The officer also said commuters who wish to reach Biscomaun Towers and Chajjubagh can take the road in front of Reserve Bank of India.

School students who wish to see the parade at Gandhi Maidan will have to enter the green zone from the St Xavier’s High School side.

Women will be allowed to enter the parade venue from Bank Road. Others would be allowed to step on to the green patch from the eastern gate of Gandhi Maidan.

“During the programme, the stretch from New Dakbungalow Road to Swaminandan Junction will be closed to all traffic. People can park their two-wheelers in front of the traffic police station or the eastern side of the Kali Temple near Gandhi Maidan. The road from the Kotwali Junction to the police lines, and from Dakbungalow roundabout to JP roundabout will also be closed to traffic,” the police officer said.

Source said those who wish to come to Gandhi Maidan from east Patna should take the Voltas roundabout and then go past police lines and Golghar to reach their destination.

Residents of the state capital were not unduly disturbed by the planned diversions. However, some of them said the citizens should have been informed about these earlier.

Sudhanshu Singh, a resident of Boring Road, said traffic diversions were essential. “These diversions are important because of an important day. But the police should have announced these at least a week before so that the residents could plan accordingly. A sudden announcement a day before the event is confusing.”