LUCKNOW, Jan. 13 -- For Lucknowites, the transition from a relaxed weekend to the daily grind was anything but smooth. 'Monday Blues' took on a literal meaning on the first day of the week as the city's traffic crawled at snail's pace. The gridlock was due to a combination of issues -a roadshow, VIP movements and the rush hour coinciding with reopening of schools after the winter break. Commuters remained stuck in massive traffic jams between 9:30am and 12pm; the worst affected was Faizabad road encompassing Polytechnic crossing, Bhoothnath, Kamta, Chinhat Tiraha, Matiyari till BBD. The jam at Faizabad road had a ripple effect on Nishatganj, Paper Mill Colony and Gomti Nagar. Traffic pressure on Kamta spread to Shaheed Path and its adjoining roads including Sultanpur and Rae Baeli road. A pre-decided grand welcome programme was organised by the BJP on UP BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary's first visit to the Awadh region. From 8am onwards, thousands of party workers gathered at the Naimisharanya Guest House in Dalibagh. After being welcomed by workers at the Naimisharanya Guest House, the convoy reached Samata Mulak crossing. Chaudhary was received here by workers from the West and Central constituencies. A grand stage was set up by workers from the North and East constituencies in front of a mall, where MLA Neeraj Bora and OP Srivastava felicitated Pankaj Chaudhary. After the welcome programme, public representatives and thousands of workers left in a car convoy with Pankaj Chaudhary for Ayodhya darshan. Meanwhile, two VVIP events in the city, one at IGP in Gomti Nagar and the other at a hotel in Ansals, further stalled traffic. During this time, there was a massive traffic jam from Polytechnic to Barabanki. The movement of goods transport vehicles involved in cargo booking in Rakabganj and nearby areas further worsened the traffic situation. Heavy vehicles got stuck on narrow roads, bringing traffic to a complete standstill for hours. A video of an ambulance being stuck at Samta Mulak also surfaced. DCP (traffic) Kamlesh Dixit said, "The jam was triggered due to multiple things falling on the same time. A large number of cops were on the streets to manage traffic, which was controlled after a certain time."...