LUCKNOW, Jan. 21 -- Traffic snarls plagued the city for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, as severe congestion gripped several key areas due to route diversions linked to the 86th All-India Presiding Officers' Conference and the 62nd Conference of Secretaries. The chaos began on Monday, the conference's opening day, but escalated by Tuesday, with Hazratganj and its surrounding areas bearing the brunt of the gridlock. The police imposed diversions in the Hazratganj zone, the city's main commercial and administrative hub, leading to increased pressure on alternative routes. Commuters faced agonisingly long traffic jams in Qaiserbagh, Golaganj, Cantonment, and around Pratibha Cinema. Mall Avenue was also severely affected, particularly near Cantt Mall Avenue (New) and the Sadar flyover, where vehicles crawled along at snail's pace for hours, leaving many stuck and frustrated in the relentless gridlock. The impact of the traffic disruption was felt most by schoolchildren and daily commuters. Several school buses were stuck in traffic for extended periods, forcing many students to get down and walk to their destinations. The roads leading from Hazratganj crossing towards Civil Hospital and Golf Club also witnessed heavy congestion. Commuters complained of delays ranging from 30 minutes to over an hour, while pedestrians struggled to navigate jammed streets. The Cantonment Sadar area saw particularly long queues of vehicles during peak morning hours. Traffic police personnel were deployed at major intersections to manage the flow, but diversions and increased vehicular load on alternative routes continued to cause bottlenecks. DCP (traffic) Kamlesh Dixit said the diversions would remain in place during the conference and appealed to commuters to plan their travel in advance and use public transport where possible....