Roads chock-a-block on third day of Eid

Islamabad : All major roads were literally chocked on the third and last day of Eidul Azha festival on Wednesday due to the influx of holidaymakers from the adjoining areas.

Massive traffic jams were reported from afternoon to the late hours as the people thronged parks and recreational spots. The pleasant weather caused by light rain contributed to the influx of visitors to recreational places.

Long queues of vehicles, including cars, vans, and coaches, were seen on IJP Road, Margalla Road, 7th and 9th avenues and Murree Road. To avoid frustration at the prolonged traffic jams, some people parked the cars, vans, and buses along the roadside kilometers ahead of their destinations, especially Faisal Masjid, Damn-i-Koh, Marghzar Zoo, Lake View Park and Pir Sohawa, and covered long distances by foot.

The people complained that they remained stuck in traffic for a long time before reaching the Faisal Masjid. Heated exchanges were seen among motorists at some places over wrong parking and minor crashes.

Modern shopping malls, especially Centaurus, attracted large crowds of such visitors.

Though the traffic police were deployed at major roads, the movement on vehicles was slow. Since there were few public transport vehicles on the road, cabbies overcharged commuters at will.

The youths created a rumble by driving motorcycles without silencers and doing a wheelie. Many were ticketed by traffic cops.

The traffic police insisted that things would return to normal on Monday as the Eid holidays would last until Friday.