# Kancheepuram gridlock for five hours hits Gandhi Jayanti traffic 2026-10-03T04:10:39+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Kancheepuram faced severe traffic congestion for more than five hours on Gandhi Jayanti Day, from around 7 am to 1 pm, with long queues reported on Kamarajar Street, Nellukara Street, Gandhi Road, Mettu Street and Salai Street. Residents blamed a shortage of traffic police personnel, with only about seven personnel available against a requirement of at least 24. The absence of a dedicated traffic inspector for several months added to the problem, causing standstills at signals and junctions and leaving motorists, devotees and tourists stranded. Police officials linked the congestion partly to the administrative transition following Kancheepuram's elevation as a corporation, noting traffic management is expected to improve once a separate city police commissionerate is established and additional personnel sanctioned. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The five-hour gridlock on 2 October exposes a gap between Kancheepuram's civic upgrade and its policing capacity: the town now runs as a municipal corporation, but traffic still sits under the district police, which is operating at under a third of its sanctioned strength. With just seven personnel on duty, signals and junctions had no one to manage peak holiday flow, and the pressure is only set to rise as wedding-season shoppers and tourists add to everyday devotees. The district administration faces immediate demands to clear encroachments and deploy more hands, but the lasting fix depends on state sanction for a separate city commissionerate and additional staff, which officials say is in progress. Until that structure is approved, the same roads are likely to choke again on the next festive weekend. ## Coverage - deccanchronicle.com Straight report of congestion, causes and official response with no editorial slant. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Chennai Traffic Police, Gandhi Jayanti, Kancheepuram Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kancheepuram-gridlock-for-five-hours-hits-gandhi-jayanti-traffic/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kancheepuram-gridlock-for-five-hours-hits-gandhi-jayanti-traffic/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/