TL;DR: A public road that people use every day has been completely taken over by a massive tent for a political event, with zero prior notice to the public and no proper alternate route.

People are reaching the road, finding it completely blocked, turning around, wasting time, and taking long detours and apparently, everyone is just expected to deal with it.

What makes this so infuriating is the sheer helplessness of an ordinary person. If a common citizen blocked an entire public road for a private function, would they be allowed to get away with it? Then why is it acceptable when it’s a political event?

Public roads are meant for the public. You cannot simply occupy an entire road for hours, inconvenience thousands of people, and expect everyone to silently adjust.

How is this even allowed? And those people who are responsible for organizing it, how insanely stupid, selfish and just illiterate they must be to do this?

Full context:

Last night, I had a night shift and, as usual, I booked a Rapido to get to work at 10 PM. Two riders cancelled on me, so I eventually booked an Uber. The Uber driver reached the usual road, called me and said, "Bhaiya, road blocked hai." At first, I assumed he meant because of the waterlogging because this same road was literally filled with water yesterday morning. I even have a video of how badly waterlogged it was. But then he told me, "Bhaiya, idhar tent laga hua hai."

I was like… what? A tent? On the road? I asked him to take another route. Later, while coming through the other route and crossing the same T-point where this road connects, I saw the tent myself. It took much longer, and I ended up reaching work late. 

A massive tent had been installed right in the middle of the entire road, stretching almost end-to-end and covering the whole width. The entire road was blocked. And where there had been a massive pothole and waterlogging just a day ago, someone had apparently dumped a huge amount of sand to make the area usable. (I have also attached the video of waterlogging.)

I spoke to my flatmate on call and found out he had experienced exactly the same thing. He had also driven towards the road earlier, found it blocked, and had to turn around and take another route. Apparently, the tent had already been there since around 4 PM.

So basically since yesterday afternoon idk how many people have been driving in this road, finding out it is blocked thinking WTF?, helplessly turning around, taking a longer route while those who are organizing it and being a part of this event have given no fuck about all these people's inconvenience or even the law.

Then this morning, when I’m coming back home from work, the tent is still there and people are still driving towards the road, reaching the tent, realizing they can’t go through, turning around and going back. I asked the people working there about it they said some minister is gonna arrive and the tent will remain there whole day.

I somehow managed to walk through the very little space on the footpath and reached my society, asked the society guards whether anyone had informed them that the road was going to be closed. No. Nobody had told them anything.

And this isn’t even ending today. Apparently, the event is happening today, after which they’ll dismantle everything so the tent will probably remain here until tomorrow morning. And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if, once everything is removed, all the litter and mess from the event is simply left scattered along the sides of the road, for the public to deal with afterwards.

Just imagine how frustrating and helpless it feels when you’re simply trying to get somewhere and a public road has been completely taken over without any warning.

I’ve seen police temporarily stop traffic when a politician’s convoy is passing. It’s inconvenient, but it lasts a few minutes but completely occupying an entire public road with a massive tent for a political event, for days, with no public notice and no proper alternate arrangement?

How is this okay?

What if someone has an emergency? What if someone is waiting for an ambulance, a cab, or a family member who has no idea the road is blocked?

Like WTF????? I am so trying to get over this but it keeps getting more and more frustrating.

L (af)-government. Political tent installed literally in the middle of a road.