Administration fails to manage traffic

Muktsar : Thousands of devotees today took a holy dip in the sarovars and paid obeisance at various gurdwaras at Muktsar on the occasion of Maghi Mela today. The city was decorated with huge flex boards and flags welcoming the devotees for the Maghi Day celebrations. Contributing to the celebrations, a large number of social organisations voluntarily arranged langars for all devotees arriving in the city to pay obeisance. Despite this, a huge beeline was observed at the main langar hall, located inside the gurdwara premises. Meanwhile, the favourite drink of Nihangs ‘ghota’ was being prepared at various places and some of them were even selling it on the road. Giving it the true colour of a rural fair, a number of sales promotion exhibitions were organised in the city to display the agro-based tools, tractors and various other products like seeds, etc. People also enjoyed the swings and mini-circus organised there. However, visiting the city, it was observed that a majority of the crowd visiting Muktsar today was mainly interested in the political conferences. Though the police of the whole Bathinda zone that comprises six districts was deployed in the city, it failed to manage the event. Hundreds of youngsters were spotted brandishing lethal weapons at the mela. Against the tall claim of the administration to have installed CCTV cameras across the city to keep a tab on the mischievous elements, pickpockets and snatchers had a field day. Ironically, despite it being a sacred day today, all liquor vends were open as the administration did not bother to check the menace. A large number of people were witnessed enjoying liquor on the road and creating nuisance but no cop bothered about it. Moreover, the administration today completely failed in managing the vehicular traffic and all roads got blocked that held up even the VIPs, including MLAs and MPs. The situation was so chaotic that a number of politicians, a majority of them belonging to the Congress, failed to attend the conferences. Some of the MLAs were spotted wading through the sea of humanity and jostling their way to the venues. Though an SSP rank official was assigned the job to manage the traffic, hundreds of buses belonging to various parties were witnessed stranded miles away from the city. The situation could not be improved even after the political conferences had concluded. Four hours after the leaders left the stages, traffic was still choked on all the roads leading to Muktsar.