Chandigarh, July 11 -- Thousands of commuters, schoolchildren and office-goers bore the brunt of the UT administration and Chandigarh police's decision to allow a 25,000-strong farmers' rally through the city on Friday, as major roads, including the Madhya Marg and those around Sectors 17 and 34, remained choked for hours.

The rally, organised by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Ugrahan faction) against various agrarian policies, began at the Sector 34 exhibition ground and culminated at Matka Chowk before returning to the original convergence point.

While the Sector 34 ground is the designated venue for state-level demonstrations, allowing such a massive procession to move through the heart of the city during the monsoon - when traffic disrup...