Chennai:
Monday's peak-hour traffic rush came to a grinding halt following Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's whistle-stop visit to the city and actor-politician Vijayakanth's bid to greet him with black flags in protest against the Centre's alleged dilly-dallying on the Mullaiperiyar dam issue.
Besides the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam and Hindu Makkal Katchi held protests on the issue. More than 700 people, including Vijayakanth, were arrested and released later.
On Sunday itself, residents here got a taste of things to come when two-way traffic was blocked between Raj Bhavan in Guindy and Meenambakkam, as the Prime Minister landed at the airport around 6.45 pm.
On Monday, with the Prime Minister scheduled to inaugurate the year-long celebrations of mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan's 125th birth anniversary at the Centenary Hall in Madras University at 10 am, commuters and motorists on their way to work found themselves stranded, with vehicular movement on Sardar Patel Road from Guindy to Adyar blocked by police since 9 am.
Policemen were out in full strength on the entire stretch from Guindy, Adyar, Foreshore Estate, Santhome and Kamarajar Salai to the venue in Chepauk. An hour before the Prime Minister's convoy was to leave Raj Bhavan, not only was traffic blocked on the route, but barricades also sprang up on streets and lanes leading to it.
In places like Gandhi Nagar and Kasturibai Nagar in Adyar and Kotturpuram, motorists found themselves hemmed in on all sides. It saw a vehicular pile-up at Velachery and 100 Feet Road, with the Metro Rail project compounding the situation.
Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses, cars and two-wheelers coming from Parrys towards Kamarajar Salai were stopped near the Napier Bridge.