In a chaotic turn of events in Mumbai`s Bandra East area, Mumbaikars are facing unprecedented difficulties reaching their offices in Kala Nagar and the surrounding areas, as local leaders are filing their nominations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at the Collectorate`s Office there. 

The Collector`s office is flanked by Chetana College and Guru Nanak Hospital, along with RNA Corporate Park and Hallmark. The area sees many office-goers travel daily to and from the station. 

Even as Mumbai Police has cordoned off the area, it has resulted in a traffic jam that has not only affected Bandra East but also led to a traffic jam extending to Bandra West, according to many commuters.

Severe traffic congestion at Kala Nagar Junction due to nomination filing https://t.co/2ViHwcmW1V pic.twitter.com/JoP02Ionti

— Mid Day (@mid_day) May 2, 2024

Commuters travelling in Bandra East to Kala Nagar and Bandra Kurla Complex to their offices expressed their frustration: 

Kailash Suthar
“I reached Bandra East rickshaw stand at 10:30 am but did not get a rickshaw as there were very few autorickshaws at the station compared to every day. Most rickshawallahs said that they will not go to the Kala Nagar area as there are police officers and everything is blocked and it will be impossible to go there as it is a waste of their time. I had to wait at the railway station in the heat for over 20 minutes. I finally got one rickshaw that reached me to Guru Nanak Hospital rickshaw stand. While it is closed till Guru Nanak stand on one side, the auto-rickshaws were dropping people off at Chetana College on the other side and people had to walk.”

Rajesh Jamsandekar
“The issue started around 10:45 am as I did not get an auto-rickshaw at Bandra East railway station and had to wait there for more than 30 minutes. Even after I got a rickshaw, there was a huge traffic jam next to the MHADA office. So, I told my rickshaw driver to turn the rickshaw around and take me through the Kala Nagar route leading me to the Guru Nanak Hospital rickshaw stand. I had to walk from there to my office, which is five minutes away. It has been extremely frustrating for me.”

Sujay Shivalkar 
The distance covered from Bandra East railway station to my office near the collector`s office took me around half an hour today. The usual time taken to cover this route is 10 minutes but today it took longer because there was a Shiv Sena rally that was taking place for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. I saw four buses filled with supporters, which was one of the major reasons for the road blockage, as my rickshaw was stuck in that traffic and I got late to work. The supporters were asking the auto-rickshaw riders to take another route and that is how I finally reached office.

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