The traffic snarl on New Bypass in Patna on Monday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, May 9: The sweltering heat has made the going tough for the hundreds of truckers stuck along New Bypass Road as they have been forced to fall in line and follow the no-overtaking rule.

The snarl, caused by the extremely slow movement of vehicles along the two-lane stretch, entered the second day today.

Truck drivers are beginning to lose their cool and are taking it out on smaller cars and two-wheelers — they are stepping on the gas whenever they can, a risk on the road that is used by all sorts of vehicles.

The police have introduced a no-overtaking system along New Bypass, a blessing for smaller vehicles on the stretch that is known for truck rage. The same rule is applied to Gandhi Setu as well.

Trucks coming from Fatuha, 22km from Patna, and Bakhtiarpur, 32km from the state capital, have to pass through New Bypass before moving through Gandhi Setu if they have to go towards Vaishali district and further.

The road being two-lane, frequent overtaking often leads to traffic jams. The no-overtaking rule has forced trucks to line up one after another, slowing down traffic movement.

Moreover, vehicles moving to Gandhi Setu are not allowed in at one go, but in intervals. This has also slowed down the movement of vehicles.

Among the sufferers was a group of tourists from South Korea who had to leave their bus and opt for a private autorickshaw from the Kacchi Dargah area near Fatuha just to reach the airport on time.

With the tourists not fluent in English, it was left to their local guide to help them out. The group was on way to Patna from Rajgir but was stuck for over four hours.

The Telegraph today took the drive along New Bypass and saw a huge queue of trucks moving at a snail’s pace. “I reached this place around 8pm yesterday. I have to go through the Mahatma Gandhi Setu and am carrying fish. It is 2pm now and I have moved less than 4km. The traffic movement is very slow. I don’t know when I will cross the bridge. The fish will rot because of the heat,” said trucker Balram Singh.

Constables have been posted at regular intervals along the road to ensure that truck drivers don’t break the no-overtaking rule.

“Overtaking has been strictly forbidden here. This is just a two-lane road and overtaking poses danger and severe traffic jam. We understand that the truckers are facing a serious problem but the directions need to be followed,” a police constable said.

Some drivers tried to break the law by taking the wrong lane along stretches where they could not find any constables.

“We know this could pose a danger to smaller vehicles and lead to a traffic jam. But we are absolutely helpless. The authorities are not treating us like humans. No arrangements have been made for drinking water and we are just rotting here,” said a driver.

The smaller vehicles could be seen somehow driving through the rough and sandy patches by the roadside and sneaking along the giant trucks somehow in a bid to get out of the mad rush.

On the Gandhi Setu, however, vehicles had a smooth ride with several policemen guarding the stretch where one-way orders are in force.

“The situation has improved here. One cannot say it is a jam on New Bypass Road. It is just very slow traffic movement. There will be some initial problems if things need to get into order. It is a known fact that overtaking along the road is the main reason for the traffic jams,” said a traffic police official.

However, constables on guard at the 5.575-km bridge were just as unhappy as the truckers, saying no arrangements had been made for them.