Durga Puja celebrations gathered momentum across Tripura from Maha Panchami, with thousands of devotees and shoppers thronging pandals and markets. However, severe traffic congestion across Agartala on Thursday evening dampened the festive spirit, leaving commuters and revellers stranded for hours.
With pleasant weather and no restrictions on vehicle movement during the day, thousands of people from different parts of the state travelled to the capital in private and commercial vehicles for pre-Puja shopping and pandal-hopping. The heavy influx of vehicles resulted in traffic snarls across the city from the afternoon, which worsened as the evening progressed.
All major roads and key intersections in Agartala witnessed massive congestion, making movement extremely difficult. Long queues of four-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers were seen stranded on roads connecting different parts of the city.
Despite the Police Headquarters announcing the deployment of a large number of security personnel, traffic police and volunteers from Maha Panchami to ensure smooth traffic movement, only a limited number of traffic personnel were reportedly visible at many critical junctions. This allegedly resulted in poor traffic management and prolonged congestion across the city.
Residents alleged that senior traffic police officials including the SP (Traffic) remained in their offices instead of supervising traffic management on the ground, forcing commuters and devotees to endure hours of inconvenience.
Many city residents also blamed the ongoing Smart City infrastructure works, coupled with inadequate traffic planning, for the worsening traffic situation that has persisted over the past month.
The chaotic situation also affected devotees arriving from other parts of Tripura to witness the Durga Puja festivities in Agartala, with many remaining stuck in traffic for long periods before reaching the pandals.
Police sources said security personnel, traffic police and volunteers had been deployed across the city, where more than 700 community Durga Puja celebrations are being organized. However, despite these arrangements, traffic congestion remained largely uncontrolled, affecting both devotees and local residents.
Adding to the rush, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) operated special local train services along with regular passenger trains during the festive season. Thousands of passengers arriving at Badharghat Railway Station also faced lengthy delays while travelling to the city due to the traffic gridlock.
As the evening progressed, large crowds continued to gather at major Durga Puja pandals across Agartala. Hundreds of vehicles moved from one pandal to another, further adding to the congestion. Till the filing of this report, all major roads in the city remained heavily crowded, with traffic jams continuing to disrupt the festive atmosphere.