Lucknow: Chaos gripped various parts of the city on Wednesday eveningLucknow: Chaos gripped Vikas Nagar and adjoining areas on Wednesday evening as commuters and residents rushed towards the site of the fire incident, leading to severe traffic congestion. Police were forced to freeze traffic movement along Ring Road, with jams beginning from Polytechnic crossing onwards.“We could see the smoke from far away, and people just started heading towards it. Within minutes, the entire road was choked,” said Rohit Srivastava, a commuter caught in the jam near Polytechnic. Another motorist, Neha Singh, said, “Fire engines were passing through Kukrail bridge, bringing traffic to a halt.”To manage the situation, police set up barricades nearly two kilometres ahead of the incident site, restricting entry towards Bandha Road in Vikas Nagar. Traffic was also diverted at Tedhi Pulia, with vehicles barred from moving towards Ring Road and Khurram Nagar. These diversions, however, shifted the pressure onto alternate routes, triggering heavy congestion across Kursi Road, Madiaon and adjoining areas.A senior police officer said, “Our priority was to create a clear corridor for emergency vehicles and prevent crowding near the site. However, the sudden influx of onlookers made traffic management extremely challenging.”A huge crowd gathered on the flyover connecting Munshipulia and Tedhipulia, watching the flames rise high. “It was terrifying but impossible to look away. The fire kept growing, and we could hear blasts,” a local resident said.
