Police plan to stop entry of trucks into the city from 8am to 11am and between 4pm and 7pm by reviving restrictions on Mahatma Gandhi Setu.

The decision taken by former director-general of police (DGP) Abhayanand, which aimed at providing relief to office-goers by stopping the movement of trucks during rush hour, would be revived.

"Daily, thousands of people use the Mahatma Gandhi Setu to reach Patna or Hajipur. Movement of trucks during rush hour triggers problems for the commuters. We receive several complaints about people getting late for work after getting stuck on the bridge owing to the movement of heavy vehicles. The earlier plan would be re-implemented by end-May," said superintendent of police (traffic) P.K. Das.

Commuters hailed the decision. "My wife works at the government school in Hajipur and she had to leave home at 5am to reach school by 8am to avoid the jam on the bridge. This is indeed a good act," said Ramesh Kumar, a resident.

Around two months ago, the state government had banned the movement of 12-wheeler trucks along the bridge.

"The police are particularly concerned about the movement of sand-laden trucks, which generally use the bridge to enter Patna. The 12-wheeler trucks might have stopped entering but that has triggered an increase in four-wheeler trucks. People start for their workplace between 8am and 11am. In the evening, they start returning home between 4pm and 7pm. If all trucks are stopped from entering Patna during the office hours, people would definitely be relieved and have a smooth drive over the bridge," said the SP.

Sources said the original traffic movement order had been implemented across the state in October, 2013.

"If the movement of trucks on Gandhi Setu needs to be stopped, the entire state would have to act, as trucks mainly from north Bihar enter Patna through the bridge. All police stations need to act, calculate, set a time and then stop the trucks to prevent any confusion. The original report was detailed. However, we are mainly concerned about Patna and would have to coordinate afresh with the neighbouring districts. The plan needs to be studied and changes made. Things began to normalise on the bridge when the order was first implemented," said another officer.