LAHORE The provincial capital was completely shutdown as the traffic flow remained suspended for 16 hours mostly due to protest demonstrations staged by the doctors of all leading hospitals and other groups of society in various parts of the metropolitan here on Thursday. The experts of the Transport Department believed that the chief reason behind these worst gridlocks was unscheduled demos by different political and religious parties, civil society and other pressure groups. They, however, suggested that the City Traffic Police should also chalk out a comprehensive plan to maintain the smooth traffic flow. As per official record of the City traffic police, traffic disorder reached pinnacle on Thursday when the doctors and traders jammed different arteries of the provincial capital in favour of their demands. The statistics showed that a large number of teachers, clerks and doctors blocked the entire Faisal Chowk from 10:30am to 2pm. Dozens of the traders also shutdown the surrounding area of Neela Gumbad from 12:30pm to 2pm. The protestors, who staged the demo against the government in connection with crackdown against encroachment launched by the City District Government, least bother the hardships of the school-goers, college students and other travellers. The doctors of the Children Hospital also continued their ongoing protest on Thursday as they blocked the Ferozepur Road from 12:30 to 2pm. The most horrible gridlock observed on the Main Ferozepur Road outside the General Hospital where even the bumper-to-bumper movements seemed impossible as the doctors had completely blocked both sides of the main road from 10:30 am to 1:30pm. The doctors of the Jinnah Hospital also blocked the Canal Road and the road in front of the main gate of the aforesaid hospital from 10:30 am to 2pm. A good number of the doctors of the Services Hospital also joined hands in the ongoing protest and blocked the Jail Road from 10:30am to 1:30pm. My mom has stuck into the traffic chaos near Gulberg turning as she is unable to catch me in time, a 21-year-old student of Government College for Women, Khalida Almas commented. She complained that the doctors have nothing to do with the critical condition of the ailing persons or the problems being faced by the travellers in wake of their protest. Talking to this scribe, Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) SSP Syed Ahmed Mobin said, We implemented emergency traffic plan by fixing diversions at Secretariat, Government College, Governors House, China Chowk, Ganga Ram Chowk, Jail Road, Shadman, Akbar Chowk, University Chowk and Faisal Chowk near Doctors Hospital. He, however, said that there was no other bypass or service road, which could be utilised for diversion so the worst gridlock jammed the traffic flow for more than three hours.