Chennai witnessed severe traffic congestion along GST Road on Tuesday as thousands of people returned to the city after celebrating the Pongal festival in their native towns in southern Tamil Nadu. The holiday rush caused significant delays, particularly along the Trichy-Chennai National Highway, with key junctions like Singaperumal Koil, Guduvanchery, Urapakkam, Kilambakkam, Vandalur, Perungalathur, and Tambaram bearing the brunt of the bottleneck.Many families had traveled to their hometowns in the southern districts to celebrate Pongal, a major Tamil harvest festival. With offices, schools, and colleges resuming midweek, a large number of holidaymakers began returning to Chennai late Monday night, continuing into Tuesday morning.
“The traffic flow has been unmanageable since last night,” said a police official stationed at Perungalathur. “Thousands of vehicles, including private cars, government buses, and private buses, have caused a ripple effect, resulting in blockages across major junctions.”
The Perungalathur and Tambaram stretches, known as key entry points to the city, turned into virtual parking lots, with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace. Commuters reported waiting for hours in long queues.
Ravi Kumar, a commuter traveling with his family, shared his ordeal: “We started from Trichy around 6 PM, expecting to reach Chennai by midnight. However, it took us more than 10 hours due to the gridlocks at Guduvanchery and Perungalathur. It was an exhausting journey.”
Similarly, travelers using government buses faced challenges. “I had no option but to stand for hours at the Tambaram bus stop because the buses were overcrowded,” said Janani, a college student returning to the city.
Police teams were deployed in full force along the route to ease traffic flow. Additional personnel were stationed at critical points to manage the influx of vehicles.
“We anticipated a heavy rush after the holidays, but the sheer volume of vehicles exceeded expectations,” said a traffic official at Vandalur. “Efforts were made to divert vehicles through alternate routes, but the congestion persisted due to the continuous influx.”
The traffic chaos has once again highlighted the need for better traffic management and infrastructure on Chennai’s arterial roads. Residents have called for long-term solutions to prevent such gridlocks during festive seasons.
“Every year during Pongal and other festivals, the situation is the same. Authorities should consider implementing measures like staggered holiday travel schedules or additional transport services,” said Suresh, a Tambaram resident.