Political meetings and rallies at Palace Grounds are a nuisance to the public, as they lead to traffic snarls for hours in and around the busy part of town. The people point to a court ruling that says weddings can be held at Palace Grounds, but they want ban on weddings too, which too lead to traffic jams.
During a discussion with Deccan Chronicle on whether Palace Grounds should host political rallies or not, Biju Levy, a hotelier, said that it is a an integral part of the city and is a place for big gatherings.
“It is centrally located and is convenient for people to attend political rallies and meetings. We are aware that there are traffic problems and the traffic police make prior announcements through various media, asking public to avoid the routes. But people use the same routes and complain about traffic jams and congestions. These rallies or meetings are held for just one day. If they are being held every day or every week, then we can think of moving these activities to outskirts. But for now, it is not a big issue.”
But Anusha D., a techie, opposed the idea of public congregations at Palace Grounds. “As it is centrally located, there is a huge traffic flow on a daily basis. We have seen that whenever there are rallies or meeting or even weddings, there are massive traffic jams. We cannot blame the traffic police for not regulating the traffic flow. Instead, we should hold departments that give permission for such events accountable. Most of the activities that see a large number of people have already been moved to the outskirts. But these political rallies and meetings continue to be held at Palace Grounds.”
Anusha said that weddings too cause inconvenience to the public. “The government should step in and announce measures to ensure that no such big gatherings occur within the city and they should not be given permission,” she said.
