Ludhiana, July 16 -- The traffic on the National Highway-44, the busy Amritsar-Delhi corridor, came to a standstill for nearly an hour on Wednesday after residents of Rahon Road, backed by farmer unions, staged a protest at Basti Jodhewal Chowk demanding immediate action on long-pending civic issues, including construction of Rahon Road and removal of encroachments.

The blockade caused massive traffic congestion on both sides of the highway, leaving hundreds of commuters, including office-goers, schoolchildren and transporters, stranded in humid conditions. Long queues of vehicles stretched across the highway as traffic crawled at a snail's pace.

The protest was organised by residents of Rahon Road with support from the Bhartiya Kisan M...