Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A day after the massive 20-hour traffic jam on NH-52 between Arjun Barod and Dakachhya, which claimed three lives, the district administration swung into action on Saturday to bring the situation under control.
To ease congestion and prevent further chaos, all heavy vehicles were diverted from AB Road to adjoining routes, allowing only light vehicles to pass through. Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began urgent repair and strengthening work on the battered service roads, which have been a major cause of the gridlock.
Collector leads ground action
Collector Asheesh Singh, along with top officers from the administration, police, traffic police, home guard, and NHAI, reached the traffic black spot early Saturday morning. He conducted on-site reviews and ensured that all necessary manpower and resources were mobilised.
The collector issued clear instructions: there must be no major disruption even if it rains, and public inconvenience must be minimised at all costs.
Senior administrative officials were deployed to key zones to oversee traffic movement and roadwork. ADM Roshan Rai took charge at Arjun Barod, monitoring diversions and flow.
SDM Ajay Shukla managed the situation in Devguradia while SDM Rakesh Parmar supervised arrangements in Manpur area. All officers were seen actively coordinating efforts, ensuring 100% heavy vehicle diversion, and monitoring ongoing repairs.
Why the pressure built up
The recent traffic disaster is being blamed on multiple overlapping infrastructure projects. With construction ongoing on the Indore-Ujjain road, the Manglia flyover, and parts of the bypass, the traffic volume on the service road surged uncontrollably. The already weak and potholed road, worsened by rain, became a bottleneck.
Emergency road work begins
To counter the problem, the NHAI began laying Dry Lean Concrete (DLC) and installing paver blocks on critical portions of the service road between Arjun Barod and Rala Mandal. Officials say the work is progressing at a rapid pace to restore smoother movement.
Traffic diversions in place
To reduce pressure on key routes, diversions were made at multiple points:
1. Heavy vehicles bound from Indore to Dewas are being stopped at Manpur and rerouted via Garoth–Barnagar–Ujjain–Dewas.
2. Those heading toward Bhopal are being diverted from Devguradia via Double Chowki–Chapra
3. Another key detour is in place between Dakachhya–Jaipuria Institute–Kshipra
