Patna, May 30: Ramji Tiwari had hard luck today. Failing to get an autorickshaw, he had to trudge 2km from Exhibition Road to the Income tax roundabout in the scorching sun. He was clueless about the less number of autorickshaws and rickshaws plying on the route.

Tiwari was not an isolated case, there were several others who had to face similar harassment owing to the movement of VIPs on these routes. To ensure smooth flow of traffic on roads, the city police had restricted the movement of autorickshaws and rickshaws on some major thoroughfares.

For Patna police, it was a grim task of manning the traffic for Monday and Tuesday with the city hosting the Planning Commission meeting attended by Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other state representatives of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bengal. Most VIPs and dignitaries have been accommodated at Hotel Maurya, Hotel Chanakya and the State Guest House. The first session meeting was held at the chief minister’s Secretariat. Traffic movement along Bir Chand Patel Path, Bailey Road, Dakbungalow Road, Frazer Road was given special care and attention.

The usual commotion triggered by autorickshaw drivers stopping in the middle of roads to pick up and drop passengers along R-Block near Hotel Chanakya was missing today with traffic police personnel acting strict. Havaldar Sudama Rai, deputed at Hotel Chanakya, said: “We have been asked not to allow the autorickshaws to stop in the middle of the road to prevent congestion.”

Major roads which the VIPs were to take had traffic points to ensure smooth traffic movement. Police patrol vans and quick biker escort teams were deployed at such points. Fifteen to 20 traffic personal accompanied by a sub-inspector rank or inspector-rank officer were deputed at the points.

Though the Patna police were regulating traffic along the routes in the afternoon when the first session concluded, traffic snarls were witnessed for some time at Income Tax roundabout and Dakbungalow roundabout. Vehicles coming from New Dakbungalow Road and the railway station were stopped for some time to give VIP vehicles right of way.

Pappu Singh, who had to walk down from Station Road, said: “Patna doesn’t have infrastructure like metros or big cities. We have to manage with the existing infrastructure and traffic snarls have become a perennial problem for people of Patna.”

However, the traffic police personnel and police officers deployed at these traffic points and near Samvad Bhawan, the venue of the meeting, had a harrowing time with no arrangement for water or breakfast. A traffic personnel deputed on duty at Samvad Bhavan, on condition of anonymity, said: “We have been on duty since 9am but there is no arrangement of water or breakfast.”