Patna: Motorists and residents in Bihta, Patna, are enduring days of traffic misery as a massive jam, stretching for several kilometres, continues to paralyse the area. The gridlock, caused primarily by trucks laden with sand, has persisted from night until day, causing widespread disruption and distress.
The congestion is particularly acute on the Bihta-Aurangabad state highway, from Bihta Chowk to Raghopur Bazaar, where a seemingly endless queue of sand-laden trucks has brought traffic to a standstill. School buses, ambulances and other emergency vehicles are among those caught in the chaos.
Truck drivers report being stranded for up to 24 hours. Suresh Kumar, who is transporting sand from Arwal to Sitamarhi, said his journey, which began the previous evening, had already taken 24 hours. “There is a lot of loss because of the jam,” he added.
The impact is also being felt by local businesses. A truck carrying vegetables from the local market to Chhapra, a journey that should take a few hours, was taking 16 hours, resulting in spoiled produce.
While local authorities are attempting to clear the congestion, their efforts have so far proved unsuccessful. Krishna Kumar, the officer in charge of Bihta police station, acknowledged the jam had persisted since the previous night.
He said local police and traffic police were working to alleviate the situation and attributed the congestion to trucks failing to arrive from the Chhapra Bhojpur side, causing a bottleneck at Bihta Chowk and on the Bihta Aurangabad road. He added that vehicles were being moved, albeit slowly.
