SHILLONG, March 14: An obnoxious traffic jam vexed commuters on Monday morning as long queues of vehicles including two-wheelers were seen on different roads here, especially the stretch from Rilbong till Barik.
In this disorderly state of traffic, two ambulances were stuck for over an hour along with the commuters.
A couple of police personnel entered the scene to clear the traffic jam but it nonetheless took more than an hour for them to clear the road.
The traffic personnel bore helpless looks as hundreds of vehicles were seen struggling to move ahead in the queue.
Desperate motorists and drivers were overtaking vehicles haphazardly which, to add to the problems of traffic personnel, led to oncoming traffic being blocked.
Asked about the reason for the unprecedented traffic jam, a Shillong Traffic Police personnel, who was helping in clearing the traffic jam, said, “Ye to bas shuruat hai (This is just the beginning)”.
With the roads chock-a-block with vehicles, many were even seen walking to their respective place of work.
The evening was kinder to Shillongites as the traffic jam persisted but not to an unbearable extent as in the morning.
Many took to social media to express their anguish, while some even suggested that a flyover was the only option.
But unfortunately, when it comes to parting ways with portions of their land, people in Shillong give such prospects a wide berth.
As has been the trend in Shillong, VIP cars still enjoyed their royalty while the common man toils.
At Rhino point during Assembly session, which currently is under way, VIP cars coming from the Assembly are allowed to take a right turn from the junction while commoners are told to take the detour till Anjalee petrol pump to go towards Civil Hospital.
It is also worth noting that the entire ZigZag Road is blocked from both the entrances during the Assembly session, because of which one has to take the steep road toward Oxford Hills.
However, with the new Assembly building coming up in New Shillong Township, things may change for commuters — only on the ZigZag Road. The rest of the traffic woes in Shillong would apparently need a more comprehensive plan.