The city witnessed significant traffic disruptions on Saturday as two major events — the Panjab University (PU) Global Alumni Meet, attended by Vice-President (V-P) Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s concert — drew massive crowds to the city.

While the V-P’s visit at PU’s Sector-14 campus concluded by 12:30 pm, the ripple effects of the heavy security arrangements and diversions lasted well into the evening.

Meanwhile Punjabi singer AP Dhillon’s concert at the Sector-25 rally ground, just across from PU’s south campus, further compounded the traffic situation as over 20,000 fans gathered at the venue.

The areas that faced traffic snarls included the Sector-25/38 dividing road, Sector-14/25 dividing road, Sector-14/15/24/25 Chowk, Sector 24/25-37/38 Chowk, Dadumajra light point near the dumping ground, and Yatri Niwas Chowk (Sector 23/24/15/16).

Traffic chaos and long queues

Traffic diversions, announced by the police, proved inadequate to handle the sheer volume of vehicle influx. Key roads, including the Sector-25/38 and Sector-14/25 dividing roads, saw serpentine queues as commuters and residents struggled to navigate through the chaos.

Yatin Arora, who had came to the concert, said, “I had to walk for one kilometre towards the venue to reach. And then I had to stand in the queue for one hour to get to the main gate.”

The disruptions extended to the city’s public transport, with auto-rickshaws and taxis refusing to enter congested areas. Reetika Sharma, a resident of Sector 25, said she was stuck in traffic for half an hour just to reach her home. The area around the venue was closed from all sides, affecting vehicle movement, she added.

Some residents took to social media to complain about the loud volume of the concert, with one user remarking, “I can hear AP Dhillon’s songs all the way from my home in Sector 23.”

Deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Yadav said, “Though the Punjab and Haryana high court had made no directions for the concert, we had still advised them to follow the noise limit of 75 Db. Teams have been constituted to keep a check on the same. We will calculate the noise levels after the concert and in case of violations, action will be taken against the organisers as per law. Also, the organisers had not sought permission for selling liquor in the event site, and no such violation was found during the inspection on Saturday.”

While attendees were not permitted to park their vehicles inside the venue, some VIPs were granted exceptions, allowing them to park and even drive their vehicles into the venue premises.