Bengaluru: Varthur-Gunjur congestion leaves schoolchildren stranded for hours

Routine traffic congestion in the Varthur, Gunjur and Balagere areas of east Bengaluru escalated on Thursday, leaving schoolchildren reportedly stuck in buses for over two hours even on routes as short as 5 km.

Children caught in traffic on these stretches struggled to cope with heavy dust and prolonged travel. While roads in these areas are generally congested due to limited road density and connectivity, travel time increased sharply on Thursday, which Bengaluru Traffic Police sources attributed to ongoing infrastructure works in the area.

Parents residing in a private apartment complex in Gunjur calculated the time-distance ratio from four schools to their apartment complex on Thursday. The exercise revealed that children were stuck in traffic for over two hours despite having to cover an average distance of only 6 km.