CHENNAI: A large number of people heading to their native towns and villages from Chennai to celebrate the Pongal festival left the Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway choked with traffic.
According to a Thanthi TV report, the road traffic was at a near standstill for up to five km in KK Nagar, Kilambakkam, Urapakkam, and Guduvanchery even at midnight.
Government buses, omnibuses, cars, and two-wheelers were seen crawling for long distances due to the heavy traffic congestion.
Earlier, to reduce traffic congestion, authorities had advised those travelling by personal vehicles to avoid certain routes like Tambaram and Perungalathur, and instead opt for alternative routes via Tiruporur, Chengalpattu, or Vandalur.
However, many people stuck to the plan to travel through Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway, which caused the congestion.
Tambaram city police and traffic police were working to manage and clear the traffic congestion in those areas.
According to the transport corporation officials, nearly three lakh people would have left the city by Saturday midnight, including 1.87 lakh who travelled on 3,406 buses on Friday.