The Gruha Lakshmi scheme rolled out by the State government in the city on Wednesday was witnessed by a sea of humanity and the turnout was described as unprecedented.
Perhaps for the first time, the size of the crowd matched or was higher than the official count.
Gaining access to the venue was a Herculean task for the beneficiaries and there were scenes of women congregating at the main gate of the Maharaja College Ground and turning back to find the next best alternative.
A huge cutout of the Mysuru palace spanning end to end of the ground greeted the audience who were seen trudging to the venue hours before the actual commencement of the programme.
There was not an inch of space at the Maharaja’s College Ground and though the authorities had arranged for about 1 lakh plus chairs, they were all occupied.
But there were almost as many outside the venue squatting on the footpath or had spread themselves along the Krishnaraja Boulevard Road and inside the Maharaja’s College campus.
While gaining entry was a tough task, getting out was even harder. The underpass in front of the Saraswathipuram fire brigade was swarming with people and a majority of them were women as they are the project beneficiaries.
Getting more than 1 lakh plus people into the heart of the city may have been an organisational nightmare but the government had roped in the departmental employees who were found in large numbers both inside and outside the venue for any assistance.
Movement of vehicles were restricted around the venue which resulted in traffic spilling over to the neighbouring roads and gullies as it happens during Dasara. While those driving two-wheelers could negotiate their way through small lanes or take a U-turn to find the next lane in case of a blockade, those in four-wheelers were stuck with little hope for any early exit from the traffic jam.
For many motorists, the drive from Ashoka Circle to Kumvepunagar which normally takes about 5 to 8 minutes took more than 30 minutes as it entailed a long detour interspersed with longer duration of blocks. As vehicles spilled over to the bylanes and gullies of Jayanagar and Ashokapuram, local people extended an helping hand and manned the traffic for sometime to clear the rush.
