Haryana CM’s swearing-in brings traffic to a standstill in Panchkula

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s grand oath-taking ceremony at Sector 5 in Panchkula on Thursday led to severe traffic disruptions, leaving commuters stranded for hours in Panchkula and even adjoining Chandigarh.

Despite advance advisories and police arrangements, the large influx of buses and VIP motorcades caused long traffic jams, frustrating locals and raising concerns over poor event management.

Major bottlenecks were reported at Majri Chowk and along the Kalka-Zirakpur road, with congestion persisting from morning until the afternoon. VIP convoys passing through the Housing Board road brought traffic to a crawl on both Panchkula and Chandigarh sides.

The use of barricades and ropes by police to manage traffic near VIP routes caused further delays, leaving many commuters stuck for over 30 minutes at intersections.

Alternative routes also fail

Even motorists who tried to follow alternative routes experienced long waits, as detours only shifted the congestion to other parts of the city. “A five-minute drive between sectors took over half an hour today,” shared a commuter caught in the jam.

Anshul Walia, a coaching centre owner, described how he was stuck for 15 minutes at the red light around noon. “The cops stopped traffic from the railway station side just to allow Madhya Marg traffic to flow freely—even though there was no congestion at all on Madhya Marg. I had to make a U-turn from a divider and detour through Daria village to reach the Panchkula Industrial Area,” Walia said.

Another major traffic block was reported on the Ghaggar Bridge, between Sector 21 and Sector 23. Residents from Sector 6 complained that their locality was locked down during the ceremony, with showrooms shut due to the movement restrictions.

Police left struggling

Despite deploying DSP-level officers at key intersections, police found it difficult to manage the overwhelming flow of vehicles.

While officers near the Red Bishop Tourist Complex in Sector 1 attempted to redirect vehicles to ease movement, traffic remained sluggish across multiple routes throughout the day.

Police had earlier issued advisories urging commuters to avoid key areas, but the large turnout, VIP convoys and roadblocks rendered many of these advisories ineffective.

Multiple roads cordoned off for event

Several key intersections and traffic lights remained closed to regular commuters until the afternoon, causing significant disruption to daily routines. Affected routes included Shaheed Major Sandeep Shankhla Chowk, Hafed Chowk, Sector 4-5 traffic light, Shaheed Udham Singh Chowk, Sector 8-9 traffic lights and Shakti Bhawan Chowk.

VIP movements further paralysed traffic between Sectors 17 and 18, leaving vehicles stranded for extended periods.

The highway from Kalka and Pinjore towards Chandigarh, via Old Panchkula Chowk, was blocked from both sides—Zirakpur and Kalka—creating a gridlock. Commuters trying to enter Panchkula through the Old Panchkula traffic lights faced significant difficulties accessing the Panchkula-Chandigarh road.

At major roundabouts and traffic lights, traffic police were present, but appeared more focused on ensuring smooth passage for VIPs rather than assisting the general public.

“It was frustrating to see how the VIPs were prioritised, while residents were left stranded. Although an advisory was issued by the authorities, several major roads were blocked without prior notice, leaving commuters unprepared and exacerbating the chaos,” said Nitesh Mittal, a resident of Panchkula. Adding to the congestion, 2,000 Haryana Roadways buses brought in from various districts were parked along the main highways, obstructing traffic flow.

Chandigarh choked too

In Chandigarh, traffic jams started in the morning along Purv Marg, starting from Tribune Chowk and going northwards all the way up to Madhya Marg and from Madhya Marg towards Panchkula.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also set to hold a meeting at Hotel The Lalit at IT Park, Chandigarh, in the afternoon, the roads here were also kept barricaded till around 8 pm.

While the Chandigarh Traffic Police had issued advisories, complaints poured in on social media as people remained stuck in jams. A Twitter user complained that traffic on Makhan Majra connecting road from Panchkula did not move for half an hour, while another complained of chaos on the road going from Traffic Lines in Sector 29 towards Durga Nursery. The traffic police, through their official account, had to remind people that the barricading had been done due to the VIP movement.

Even in the evening after the events, the traffic jam persisted. Dr Mohit Gupta, a dentist, complained that he had started from Zirakpur for Chandigarh around 6.30 pm, but was still stuck at Tribune Chowk even at 7.30 pm.

Curbs in place today as well for Vice-President’s visit

With Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar visiting Mohali on Friday for the Indian School Business (ISB) Leadership Summit, traffic police have issued a fresh advisory.

Traffic will be diverted/restricted on Purv Marg from Kali Bari light point towards Faidan Barrier near Sector 48 from 2.15 pm to 4 pm during VIP movement.

Meanwhile, the traffic police also shared that the dividing road between Sectors 46 and 47 will be closed from October 18 up to October 28 due to pipe laying work by the Chandigarh municipal corporation.