Day after Mantralaya fire, motorists suffer snarls

With the area around the Mantralaya being cordoned off on Friday too, the traffic situation was affected in south Mumbai.

While the diversion of traffic to other lanes inconvenienced the people, police said the traffic snarls were the last thing on their minds in an emergency situation like this.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Brijesh Singh said, “It is naïve to think of traffic problems when we are struggling to trace people likely to have been trapped inside the building.”

The inconvenience to motorists is more due to VIP movement than road diversions, the police reasoned.

“In situations like these, VIPs visit the site and we have to make way for their movement,” said Singh.

JJ flyover, which was closed after the fire broke out, was opened for motorists on Friday.