PM Narendra Modi regrets inconvenience caused to citizens in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Chandigarh on Friday inconvenienced the people in the city, prompting him to later express regret and order a probe into the incident. Families who were trying to cremate their dead were among those who suffered hardships, apart from commuters stuck in traffic jams.

Chandigarh's main cremation ground in Sector 25 was next to the venue of a rally addressed by Modi and it was converted into a makeshift parking lot. Retired Brigadier Devinder Singh, who fought the Kargil War, was among those who could not carry out the cremation of his 24-year-old son killed in a road accident because of the makeshift parking lot. Singh had to cremate his son in Mohali as the main crematorium was out of bounds.

During his four-hour visit, Modi had three engagements — inauguration of the state-of-the-art new civil air terminal building, an address at the 34th Convocation of PGIMER and a public rally. It was Modi's first visit to Chandigarh after becoming the PM.

As citizens seethed in anger, Modi expressed his regrets: “The inconvenience caused to citizens in Chandigarh, especially shutting of schools due to my visit is regretted. It was totally avoidable. An inquiry will be held & responsibility will be fixed for the inconvenience caused to the people of Chandigarh,” he said in a series of tweets. Vijay Kumar, an attendant at the cremation ground, was quoted as having said that three cremations were diverted to another cremation ground in Mani Majra area located at a considerable distance.

“The administration could have at least given prior notice about the ban on entry to the cremation ground in Sector 25,” one resident said, amid reports that families of the bereaved were told to delay the last rites of the dead “for a few hours.”

Schools have never been shut down during the visits of a PM, President or the vice-president till now. A senior Chandigarh administration official said that the decision to close schools was taken for security of the children as the movement of the PM clashed with school hours.

Several Congress activists were detained after the party announced its decision to show black flags to Modi. Local bus services were also hit as 40 of the buses from the fleet of around 350 were requisitioned by the authorities. As tight security arrangements were in place for Modi's visit, the traffic police diverted traffic from key routes used by his motorcade.