The 9-hour jam 

• Three truck breakdowns cripple traffic on Karnataka-Kerala Highway in Kodagu    

• Hundreds of motorists stranded overnight inside Nagarahole Tiger Reserve 

Mysuru: Traffic movement on the Karnataka-Kerala Inter-State Highway near Anechowkur Gate, a crucial route connecting Mysuru with Kerala through Kodagu, came to a grinding halt for more than nine hours last night following an enforcement action against an overloaded truck and a series of truck breakdowns on a narrow stretch of road inside the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.

Hundreds of commuters travelling between Mysuru and Gonikoppa were stranded inside the Tiger Reserve from around 10.30 pm yesterday to 7.30 am today, with vehicles piling up on both sides of the road for nearly 3 to 4 kilometres.

The prolonged traffic jam left motorists and goods vehicle drivers in distress, particularly as the incident occurred inside the forest area during the night.

Several car drivers, unable to wait any longer, turned back, while others took alternative routes to reach their destinations.

A portion of the stone load from the stranded truck was placed by the side of the road to reduce its weight. The road was cleared at 7.30 am today. 

Overloading effect

The trouble began when the Police intercepted a truck travelling from Mysuru towards Kerala, carrying paving stones meant for resorts and house construction. During inspection, the vehicle was found to have exceeded the prescribed 17-tonne weight limit.

The Police directed the driver to turn the vehicle around and return to Mysuru. However, while attempting to make a U-turn on a narrow incline about two kilometres beyond the Anechowkur check post inside the forest range, the heavily loaded truck became stuck, blocking the road.

While reversing, the rear wheels of the truck slipped into a roadside ditch, leaving the vehicle positioned across the road. The situation soon worsened when another truck attempting to move past the stranded vehicle got stuck in slush.

As it had been raining, the sides of the road were muddy and filled with slush, making it difficult for the heavy vehicles to gain traction.

The chain of breakdowns eventually brought traffic on the important inter-State route to a complete standstill.

Three trucks get stuck

The first truck caused a bottleneck at around 10.30 pm. For some time, smaller vehicles managed to squeeze past the stranded lorry using the narrow shoulder. However, the situation deteriorated when another goods vehicle attempted to overtake the immobilised truck and itself got stuck.

By midnight, long queues had formed on both sides of the forest stretch. Several truck drivers and other goods vehicle operators were forced to spend the night stranded on the road, with little room for vehicles to move in either direction.

Efforts were made to clear the second truck and traffic movement was restored temporarily between about 11.30 pm and 2.30 am. However, the respite was short-lived. Around 3.30 am to 4 am, a third lorry got stuck at almost the same spot, once again bringing traffic to a complete standstill.

With the road being narrow and the vehicles heavily loaded, clearing the obstruction proved difficult. Police, Forest officials and members of the public joined the efforts to restore traffic movement. A portion of the stone load from the stranded lorry had to be unloaded to reduce its weight. A heavy-duty crane was then brought in to push the vehicle clear of the road.

After prolonged efforts, the obstruction was finally removed and traffic movement was restored around 7.30 am.

With the forest stretch completely blocked, commuters were advised to avoid the affected section. Vehicles were diverted towards Maldare and Periyapatna.