The police headquarters has asked Patna and Vaishali cops to act immediately and rid the 5.575km Gandhi Setu of traffic snarls persisting over the weekend.

The police high command intervened in the blame game between the two districts and directed their senior officers to deploy 100 constables each just to solve the bridge traffic mess.

Patna superintendent of police (SP) (traffic) P.K. Das claimed that some heavy vehicles had flouted traffic regulations and had resulted in the snarl. He added that the problem was primarily on the Vaishali side.

"Traffic on Gandhi Setu is getting back to normal. In June this year, the Patna police had introduced lane driving on the bridge and roads through which the bridge could be approached. Things were smooth for six months. But some vehicles have been violating traffic norms. Traffic on the bridge had been stopped the day (November 20) the new government took oath at Gandhi Maidan, which created a pressure situation. Moreover, things at the Hajipur end of the bridge were not fine. The cops there did not implement lane-driving norms," said the officer.

On Monday evening, the Patna police headquarters said deputy SP (traffic)-2, Satyanarayan Ram, had been appointed to streamline traffic movement on Gandhi Setu with the help of three inspectors. They would have to report to the SP (traffic) without any delay.

Sources said Vaishali police had been asked to implement lane driving in Hajipur.

"The Hajipur side of the bridge is in chaos and there is no lane driving. Vehicles ply haphazardly. Traffic gets clogged on the Hajipur side, choking the entire bridge. The bridge, from pillar number 36 to 46, is a one-way traffic zone owing to ongoing construction and any instance of wrong driving affects the traffic. The Vaishali SP had been called to Patna today (Monday) for a meeting to discuss the traffic problem on the bridge," a police officer said.

Traffic police have devised a new strategy to ease traffic on Gandhi Setu and in Patna.

The police made lane driving mandatory for drivers of all types of vehicles to ensure hassle-free traffic on the Setu. There are around 200 Patna police personnel to look after the Setu and the roads approaching it.

Commuters have been at their wit's end.

"I don't know what went wrong but the traffic on the bridge is getting worse. It took me three hours to get from Hajipur to Patna yesterday (Sunday) and today, I am stuck for two hours. This is a serious cause of worry and immediate action is necessary," said Hajipur resident Dharmesh Kumar.