India, Sept. 21 -- Two days after a 16-month-old child died when his family's car was trapped in a 25-km-long jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, the Thane traffic police on Saturday were forced to roll back their controversial curbs on heavy vehicles.

The earlier order, issued on September 16 and enforced from September 18, had barred trucks with 10 tyres or more from entering city limits except between 12 midnight and 6 am. The aim was to ease daily gridlocks on NH-48 and Ghodbunder Road, but the move backfired. Instead of relief, thousands of vehicles piled up on the arterial stretch, choking traffic for hours, stranding commuters, and in one tragic case, costing a child his life.

Responding to the mounting anger, the police have no...