Maharashtra bandh: Commuters inconvenienced as traffic cripples Mumbai

Motorists and daily commuters were put to a lot of inconvenience as the day-long bandh called by Dalit organisations crippled vehicular movement across the island city and suburbs.

Traffic came to a standstill on many roads in the country's commercial capital as protesters squatted on roads and put up road blockades at various locations.

Protesters blocked various junctions on the Western Express Highway, stretching from suburban Dahisar to Bandra, Eastern Freeway connecting Chembur with CSMT south Mumbai, Sion-Panvel road, and LBS Road in Kurla.

Spots like Sion junction, Amar Mahal junction in Chembur, Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar in Ghatkopar (East) and other roundabouts on Eastern Express Highway also witnessed massive snarls due to the protests.

The day-long Maharashtra shutdown was called by various organisations under Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh of Prakash Ambedkar to protest the clashes between dalits and Marathas in Bhima Koregaon village and nearby areas in Pune district on Monday on the occasion to mark the bicentenary of the battle between Peshwas and the British.

The regular flow of traffic was also affected at the iconic Bandra-Worli sea link and other major roads.

An official said in the evening that traffic was limping back to normalcy as the bandh has been withdrawn.

Lakhs of daily office-goers had a harrowing time as public transport buses and auto rickshaws kept off the roads throughout the day while trains crawled due to demonstrations were held on railway tracks.

In some suburbs, protesters hurled stones at vehicles on roads and even damaged some private vehicles, including a private bus.

Due to the demonstrations, motorists remained stuck in vehicles at various places. Many commuters were seen walking as public transport buses and auto rickshaws remained off the roads.