The closure of this slip-road gate triggered prolonged snarls on VIP Road and Jessore Road. (Amit Datta)

An attempt by the airport authorities on Tuesday to decongest the approach to the terminals backfired because of faulty planning and defiant commuters, resulting in the delay of five domestic flights and unmanageable snarls on VIP Road and Jessore Road.

The authorities tried to implement the one-way rule on the slip road that cuts through the airport campus linking VIP and Jessore roads but commuters — those not bound for the airport — refused to abide by it.

Metro had on February 10 highlighted how bottlenecks caused by both-way traffic on the road led to at least 10 passengers missing their flights daily.

The matter came to such a pass on Tuesday morning, thanks to the commuters’ insistence on defying the cops who tried to prevent Jessore Road-bound vehicles from entering the slip road, that the authorities were forced to close the gate at the Jessore Road crossing around 11.30am.

But the move choked the north-bound flank of VIP Road — where vehicles got stranded till Chinar Park and Kestopur — as well as Jessore Road, forcing the authorities to reopen the gate around 2.30pm.

“The gate was shut but the vehicles kept entering the slip road as there was no signage at the VIP Road crossing. To add to the confusion, cops stationed at the spot left after the Jessore Road gate was closed,” said an airport official.

“Hundreds of vehicles tried to take a U-turn after learning that the gate had been closed, the chaos spilling onto VIP Road. We had to reopen the gate following a request from the district police.”

Sujata Sarawgi, who was to catch a flight to Delhi, was stranded on the New Town-VIP Road flyover for half an hour. “The car has not moved an inch during the period. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to reach the airport on time,” she told Metro.

Five domestic flights took off late between 1pm and 2pm as the passengers and crew could not reach on time because of the snarl.

Some airport officials felt proper planning and co-ordination with the police could have ensured smooth execution of the one-way rule. Airport director B.P. Sharma, however, said the experiment was successful and the system would be implemented shortly.