Medical interns' strike: How Bhopal suffered its worst traffic jam ever

Protesting medical interns on September 7 had Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal in a traffic gridlock for most parts of the evening even as their agitation now threatens to disrupt services at government hospitals in the state. The demand: better monthly stipend.

Vast parts of Bhopal came to a standstill in evening rush hour as the interns sat on a dharna on a crucial road connecting the older and newer parts of the city. The protesters had intended to picket chief minister Mohan Yadav’s residence, but were stopped at a security barricade around a kilometre away. Yadav is on an official trip to the UAE.

The interns began protesting at the Gandhi Medical College, demanding a hike in their monthly stipends from Rs 14,000 per month to Rs 30,000 per month. Police used water cannons to disperse them. The interns then walked on foot towards the chief minister’s residence but were stopped by police at Kilol Park, where the students sat on a dharna.

Kilol Park is located on the main road connecting Old and New Bhopal. As evening office traffic started building up from 5 pm, jams were reported at the sit-in-protest site. At one point, the congestion reportedly stretched for up to 4 km.

Many commuters tried to get home using alternate routes in the walled city, through Budhwara Market, Lady Hospital and Bharat Talkies, but encountered jams. Similarly, traffic was clogged on the road connecting New Market with Jehangirabad and Talaiyya.

Bhopal district magistrate Priyank Mishra reached the dharna spot with additional police commissioner Shailendra Singh Chauhan to speak to the medical interns. The officers tried to convince the protesters to allow traffic to move.

Mishra told the interns their demands would be looked into by health commissioner S. Dhanaraju, but there was no breakthrough. Mishra also appealed to the interns to clear the road as people with medical emergencies were stuck in the jams. They did not relent. Many people reported missing their flights and trains.

Of late, traffic conditions in Bhopal have been worsening. Many of the jams being reported are due to protests by various groups. In July, farmers had blocked the Narmadapuram road, leading to massive jams for commuters. Last week, traders held a protest in TT Nagar against an ongoing sealing drive, leading to jams around the area.

Ever since the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) agitation in Delhi, BJP administrations are seen as treating protesters with kid gloves. “After the youth protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, police administrations all over are on the defensive and tend to give protesters leeway,” said a top Bhopal police official.

As of September 8, the protest by medical interns was continuing although one side of the road had been opened for traffic. Meanwhile, in a worsening turn to the agitation, doctors announced that OPD services would be suspended in medical colleges. The suspension is bound to affect the poorest of the poor, a demographic acutely dependent on public healthcare services.

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