PESH AWAR: The heavy downpour coupled with work on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit project threw traffic in the provincial capital into chaos on Monday with motorists and commuters remaining stuck in gridlock for several hours.

The residents travelling to the cantonment from the city and the university`s side and those going to the university`s side from the cantonment were among the worst sufferers.

The traffic congestion was most severe on Sher Shah Suri Road for those going to the cantonment due to the road`s closure near the BRT site in front of the Peshawar Press Club.

On the other hand, vehiclesbound for city, witnessed traffic mess at the Jail Pul due to work on the BRT project at Soekarno Square andShobaChowk.

Most of those going to Saddar had to return from near the press club and had to add to the traffic congestion near the Governor`s House. Some of them, who took the Mall, returned due to the closure of the artery for ordinary citizens.

A large number of people coming to the cantonment had remained in a traffic gridlock in the Shouba, Namak Mandi and Dabgari, while those who tried to avoid the congestion through the Khyber Road got stuck in the same near the Amn Chowk.

The traffic coming to Saddar from University Road side witnessed the worst congestion starting near the Peshawar Garrison Service Club and therefore, motorists had to spent huge time trapped in long queues.

The rain added to the misery of motorists as the soil dug up for the BRT project but left on the roads turned into sludge due to rain and thus, making it difficultfor passersby, bikers and motorists to move.

Asim Khan, a local resident, told Dawn that he tried to go to the Saddar Road from the Sher Shah Suri Road but returned from near the Press Club due to the closure of road.

He said he tried to get through the Mall but the ricl(shaw he rode was not allowed to go back near the Edwardes College.

The resident said he had to go back through and traverse the Khyber Road; however, Airport Road, which connects with Sir Syed Road, was facing worst congestion near Amn Chowk and he had to walk till Saddar Road from this point in rain.

Saeed Khan, a resident of Timergara, said he was going to State Life Building to report a missing Sehat Insaf Card but he remained stuck in traffic for more than two hours.

He said his family had lost the Sehat Insaf Card and he was directed to report the missing card at an office at the State Life Building so that he could get necessary permission for his brotheropen heart surgery scheduled for Tuesday (today) from this office.

`I arrived Peshawar about 3:30pm but could not made it to the cantonment in two hours due to the closure of roads,` he said, adding that he was not sure whether he would be able to get the necessary permission or not as the office might have been closed by Spm.

A traffic police official said the main reason for Monday`s traffic rain was the BRT work as well as rain.

He said traffic was being diverted to the city and Ring Road from the GT Road due to the BRT construction and thus, causing gridlock, while the rain also caused the traffic to slow down.

The official said a large number of trafEc cops had been deployed to ensure smooth flow of traffic but they couldn`t do anything better than signaling to motorists in the slow traffic.

He said usually, traffic was slow in the provincial capital at the start of the week but that time around, heavy downpour also increased the people`s misery.