Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (RJP)

Mangaluru, May 5: Police have been making preparations for the past one week to keep the traffic system efficient on Saturday, May 5, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the city in the evening for his election campaign. There are many restrictions in place on vehicular movement and parking from 8 am to 9 pm.

With this being the situation, citizens need to be extra cautious about where they park their vehicles, and even more about not breaking traffic rules. An owner of a luxury car learnt this lesson the hard way.

On May 5 at around noon, when traffic is usually at its peak, the man parked his car on the wrong side opposite the fish market at State Bank here, causing people and particularly the police into frenzy for about half an hour.

The person parked his luxury car on the road and went to buy fish. Only cars and rickshaws could pass behind the big car. This particular road has two lanes. The lane opposite the fish market is rarely used by buses as they use the other lane. However, a bus that came through this lane on Saturday noon could not pass due to the wrong parking of the car. Many vehicles stuck behind the bus could not move at all. The traffic policeman who was nearby came to the spot and locked the tyre of the car, even as people tried to locate the driver of the car, in vain.

Meanwhile, there was a jam at the Hamilton Circle as vehicles could not pass. If the police did not clear the traffic, it would extend to A B Shetty Circle within no time, which is closer to the venue Modi is visiting. There was total chaos in the area.

Luckily, the man who was in the market came back with a bagful of fish, only to be criticised by people gathered there. He was greeted with the choicest abuses.

It took ten minutes to locate the policeman who locked the tyre of the car as he was busy at Hamilton Circle. Ultimately the problem was solved. The man apologised repeatedly, but the policeman told him, "Luckily, you came. Otherwise the situation would have been bad."

A street vendor told the man, "I told you to park the car properly as there was enough space. But you argued with me. Now you know why I was insisting," indicating that the car owner probably took the whole thing lightly and failed to realise how his carelessness caused anxious moments for the police who are already under pressure ahead of the PM's arrival.