flames of ire

smash attacks

(Top) Transporters burn tyres near Zero Mile in Patna on Friday, causing traffic snarl on Gandhi Setu and (above) the newly launched city buses that faced the wrath of the striking auto drivers on September 4. Pictures by Nagendra Kumar Singh and Ashok Sinha

Traffic on Gandhi Setu was thrown out of gear on Friday following an indefinite agitation by transporters against ban on plying of 10-wheel trucks on the damaged bridge.

Commuters, as a result, had to face a harrowing time.

Hundreds of truck operators under the aegis of the Bihar Transport Welfare Association gathered near Zero Mile on the outskirts of the capital around 9am and blocked the traffic. They raised anti-government slogans, burnt tyres in the middle of the road leading to Gandhi Setu and disrupted movement of all sorts of vehicles.

A snaking queue of both small and heavy vehicles, particularly trucks laden with goods, remained stranded at different locations on National Highway 30 because of the snarl.

The protesters, mostly truck operators, were demanding that heavy vehicles, especially over 10-wheel trucks, were allowed to cross the bridge. The operators alleged that they had to take a detour of around 300km to reach north Bihar because of the ban.

In May this year, Bihar Pul Nirman Nigam Limited had banned the plying of 10-wheel or above 10-wheel trucks after cracks were detected in a few spans of the bridge.

Later, the chief engineer of the road construction department also issued a letter to the district magistrates of Patna and Vaishali asking them to impose a blanket ban on entry of all trucks, especially overloaded ones.

The ban on the entry of heavy vehicles on the Rajendra rail-cum-roadbridge connecting Mokama (Patna) and Barauni (Begusarai) added to the transporters’ woes. “Our business has badly been affected because of the ban. The drivers don’t want to take a circuitous route through Bhagalpur to deliver the consignments in north Bihar districts. We have to pay extra charges to the drivers and that consumes more time,” said a transporter.

The blockade near Zero Mile, which connects north Bihar and eastern Bihar with the state capital, triggered long snarls in the city as well. “I have been stranded near the traffic post (ahead of the bridge) for the past two hours. I have to go to Muzaffarpur to appear before a court. But I have no option but to wait,” said Sanjay Kumar Chaurasia, a resident of Jehanabad.

Similar views were echoed by Ratan Kumar Singh, an employee of the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur. He said he had come to Patna from Muzaffarpur on Thursday to attend a meeting.

“But I wouldn’t be able to attend the office today because of the traffic jam,” he said, adding that such an agitation caused immense hardship to the commuters.

The protesters, fortunately, allowed ambulances carrying patients to pass. “After all, we are human beings and our purpose is not to cause harm to human lives,” said Rajesh Kumar, a truck operator of Agamkuan in Patna. He said emergency services had been kept out of the purview of the chakka jam.

Pintu Kumar Yadav, the owner of Jai Mata Di Transport agency, Patna, said the protesters decided to remove the blockade on Friday on the assurance of the sub-divisional officer and the sub-divisional police officer of Patna City. The two officials promised that their demand would be fulfilled in the next 24 hours.

Ramesh Ram, a transporter, said they would resort to agitation if their demand was not met within the stipulated timeframe.

“The officials of the local administration talked to the district magistrate in the presence of the media and representatives of the association, who, in turn, promised to sort out the problem,” he told The Telegraph.

Yadav said the protesters have given the administration an ultimatum of 24 hours and decided to remove the blockade in view of the inconvenience caused to the common masses.

“The people have to suffer a lot because of the agitation. If the administration takes a positive step, there is no need to resort to agitation,” he said, adding that the transporters would again meet on Sunday to chalk out further course of action.

Patna City sub-divisional police officer Rajesh Kumar said all the senior district officials had been apprised of the transporters’ demand.

Transport principal secretary Vijoy Prakash categorically denied that the transport department had ever issued any order banning the plying of heavy vehicles on the bridge.

When contacted, Vijoy Prakash said: “It’s a fact that the transport department imposes fine on vehicles found overloaded on the bridge. But we are not concerned with the ban on the entry of trucks on the damaged bridge.”

District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.

The announcement of agitation by the transporters has sent chill down the spine of the commuters, who apprehend long snarls again on the 5.575-km bridge.

The ban on the entry of 10-wheel and above trucks has undoubtedly led to price rise of essential commodities in north Bihar. But at the same time, it has come as a great relief for daily commuters.