🚨 Massive Traffic Congestion During Garba Events at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru: Serious Questions About Traffic Management, Parking Arrangements, and Departmental Accountability 📍 Location: Palace Grounds, Mekhri Circle to Kodigehalli Gate Signal, Bengaluru I have been serving the people of Bengaluru for the past several years as an Ambulance Volunteer, Traffic Warden, and Traffic Volunteer. My objective has always been to help the public, support better traffic management, and ensure smooth passage for ambulances during emergencies. Approximately two days ago, while escorting an ambulance at night, I witnessed an extremely serious traffic congestion situation caused by the ongoing Navratri Garba events at Palace Grounds. According to my observations, long queues of vehicles stretched from Palace Grounds towards Kodigehalli Gate Signal. Traffic congestion extended for approximately 5 kilometres from the Airport towards City Market and around 3 kilometres from City Market towards the Airport. This is not merely a traffic problem. It raises serious concerns about traffic planning, parking management, the accountability of event organisers, and the uninterrupted movement of emergency services. 1️⃣ Was Proper Planning Done Before Approving Such Large Events? Large-scale Garba events are being organised at Palace Grounds, attracting significant crowds and a large number of vehicles. The concerned departments must answer some important questions: • Did the event organisers obtain the necessary permissions from the Traffic Police and other relevant departments? • If permission was granted, were the organisers required to provide details about the expected number of visitors, anticipated vehicle volume, and available parking capacity? • Was sufficient parking space available inside the event premises? • Were separate entry and exit routes, designated pickup and drop-off points, and a clear traffic management plan established? • Did the Traffic Police and concerned departments inspect the arrangements before the events began? Simply checking the capacity of an event venue is not enough. Authorities must also assess the impact on surrounding roads and the movement of the general public. 2️⃣ Event Organisers Must Also Be Held Accountable When a company or organising committee conducts an event on such a large scale, its responsibility should not end at the venue entrance. Organisers must arrange sufficient security guards, parking personnel, and trained traffic management staff. • Staff must be deployed to prevent unauthorised and haphazard roadside parking. • Designated pickup and drop-off locations must be established. • Proper arrangements must be made to prevent vehicle queues from blocking public roads. • Organisers must coordinate with the concerned departments to address no-parking violations and maintain smooth traffic flow. • A separate traffic management plan must be in place for the time when the event ends and large numbers of visitors leave simultaneously. According to my observations that night, there did not appear to be sufficient event management personnel deployed on the surrounding roads. Meanwhile, a few Traffic Police personnel were struggling to manage the heavy traffic. Is it fair to leave the entire burden of managing such a massive event on Traffic Police personnel alone? 3️⃣ Traffic Police Responsibility Must Go Beyond Granting Permission The role of the Traffic Police and the approval process need to be reviewed in this matter. Before approving a major event, authorities must assess the organisers' traffic management plan, parking capacity, security arrangements, and the availability of clear routes for emergency vehicles. If an event is likely to cause several kilometres of congestion on major roads, a dedicated traffic management plan must be prepared in advance.