LAHORE: Lahorites faced another day of mess on all major thoroughfares on Saturday due to closure and detours by virtue of the Khatm-i-Nabuwat conference outside Data Darbar.

The day was harder for those travelling in and out of the city through public transport. They had to walk for several kilometers to board a passenger bus or van to reach their destinations.

The traffic police had blocked all roads leading to Data Darbar from Azadi Flyover, Urdu Bazaar and Katchery. Police also erected barricades on The Mall where the international players of World-XI hockey were staying.

A lawyer, Rao Riaz Tayyab, who came to Lahore from Kaloorkot to attend a two-day International Marxist Tendency (IMT) Congress at Aiwan-i-Iqbal, said he had to walk several kilometers to reach his destination from Lorry Adda. “I always use public transport whenever I come to Lahore to appear in the Lahore High Court regarding any case of his clients.”

On Saturday, Tayyab said, the bus had dropped him at Shahdara due to road blockade and he went to a Metro Bus station but the service was also suspended.

He said he had to walk to cross hurdles set up by police and find some van which travelled a few kilometers and faced another hurdle.

The City Traffic Police had also issued a plan in connection with the Khatm-i-Nabuwat Conference. According to it, all traffic entering Shahdara to Azadi Chowk was diverted to railway station. Traffic from Taxali Chowk was diverted to Walled City and Mohni Road. Traffic from Civil Secretariat was directed to move towards Outfall Road and Ring Road. Traffic from Circular Road and Shah Alam Chowk was diverted to Mayo Hospital, Napier Road and The Mall. The commuters travelling from Defence and Cantonment were asked to use Lahore Ring Road.

As many as 305 wardens, 56 patrolling officers, 11 inspectors and six forklifts were deployed at different points of the city.

The police devised a three-layered security plan for the conference.

Every participant was allowed entry after checking at three points - physical search, checking with metal detectors and walk-through gates, said DIG (Operations) Dr Haider Ashraf.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018