The movement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy and the Prakash Utsav rush brought traffic to a crawl in many parts of Patna on Thursday.

For several hours in the morning before the Prime Minister's visit, commuters were caught in snarls. By evening, the snarls were back to haunt commuters once the gates of Gandhi Maidan were opened to visitors and devotees.

The traffic department, considering the Prime Minister's Narendra Modi visit, had imposed restrictions on the entire stretch his convoy took from Patna airport to Gandhi Maidan. Though the restrictions were put into force from around 11.30am, 20 minutes before Modi's arrival at Patna airport, many bylanes entering Bailey Road were blocked much before. The roads and bylanes entering Bailey Road in Punaichak, the Secretariat roundabout, Beer Chand Patel Marg, the road connecting Kidwaipuri to Income Tax roundabout, and the Dakbungalow roundabout to the JP roundabout area near hotel Maurya were blocked for more than two hours during the Prime Minister's arrival and departure from Gandhi Maidan.

The biggest sufferers owing to the traffic restrictions were shops and offices on these routes. As the Dak Bungalow roundabout to JP roundabout stretch of Fraser Road was closed for most part of the day, commuters entering these roads had to wait.

Sashikant Sharma, who has a computer shop on Fraser Road, said: "The traffic restriction on Fraser Road has badly affected us. My shop is at Jagat Trade Centre but the cops have stopped me. They have imposed restrictions on even pedestrians." He had to wait on the other side of road near the Bihar School Examination Board lane for half-an-hour from 11.40am till the Prime Minister's convoy passed. From 12.15pm to 2.30pm, Modi was at Gandhi Maidan to take part in a kirtan being held at Durbar Hall and left for Patna airport around 2.30pm. The traffic department had made elaborate preparations.

Prantosh Kumar Das said: "Around 2,500 police personnel, 500 traffic personnel and around 1,000 NCC cadets were deployed between the airport and Gandhi Maidan. These police personnel and NCC cadets were given training to make traffic hassle-free."

The traffic, which was blocked in the morning, once again turned chaotic in the evening, when the gates of Gandhi Maidan were opened to visitors. The traffic restriction on Bailey Road was lifted after Modi's departure. However, there will be traffic restrictions on roads approaching Gandhi Maidan - from the Police Lines, Kargil Chowk and other routes even on Friday.