Bengaluru traffic congestion intensified across south Bengaluru on Friday as police imposed road restrictions and diversions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, leaving commuters stranded for hours and pushing vehicles into narrow residential streets. More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed for security, according to Prajavani, while several major roads were barricaded or closed.
Restrictions affected the Bannerghatta Main Road, Adugodi, Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar, Talaghattapura and Hulimavu traffic police station areas. Security arrangements were also tightened around Tavarekere metro station under the direction of Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh. Bomb disposal teams and sniffer dogs were deployed as part of the checks.
The closure of Bannerghatta Road caused particular disruption for people travelling towards the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and Jayadeva Hospital. With the main road blocked, motorists were directed through internal roads in BTM Layout, J.P. Nagar and Jayanagar. Those roads, designed primarily for local residential traffic, saw a sudden increase in vehicle volumes, leading to long queues at several junctions.
Traffic moved slowly around the Silk Board flyover connecting roads, BTM Layout’s inner roads, Dairy Circle, Mico Layout, Hulimavu and key roads in Jayanagar. Roads near Jayadeva Hospital and IIM Bangalore were also among the locations where congestion was reported. The diversions affected not only through traffic but also commuters travelling to workplaces, hospitals and scheduled meetings in the southern parts of the city.
A commuter identified as Ramesh Kumar told Prajavani that he left Hulimavu at 9am to attend a meeting near Dairy Circle scheduled for 11am, but had still not reached the destination by 1pm. He said the main road had been completely closed and that alternative routes were also congested. He also complained that clear signboards indicating the diversion routes were not available.
Several information technology companies instructed employees to work from home on Friday after anticipating disruption from the restrictions. A senior traffic police officer said diversion information had been released in advance through FM radio, news channels and social media. However, the officer said many motorists unfamiliar with the alternative routes entered narrow internal roads, creating confusion and adding to the congestion.
The disruption highlights the operational challenge of managing high-security movements in a city where major arterial roads connect densely populated neighbourhoods, hospitals, educational institutions and employment centres. The police arrangements and traffic restrictions were implemented for the duration of the Prime Minister’s visit, with authorities using barricades, route changes and heightened security checks across the affected areas.
