In just 24 hours, the campaign has taken a "viral" form and the district magistrate Ajay Chauhan has been flooded with emails. "The Action Plan for a Better Agra" has received wide support from the internet fraternity both locally and internationally. This is because the whole city today stands paralyzed and helpless against chaotic traffic and generally deteriorating civic amenities. The worst sufferers of the chaos are the tourists who are stranded in traffic jams for hours, many swearing never to return," said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, while releasing the Action Plan.

Facebook addicts and the local media are engaged in discussion over what would be the right strategy to restore sanity on roads and streamline traffic flow. "It is a problem that concerns everyone and unless citizens of Agra themselves wake up, administrative authorities will not respond," said Shishir Bhagat, president of Wake Up Agra.

Dr. Sanjay Chaturvedi, an expert on traffic management has released an eleven-point programme, focusing on cycling, walking and public transport, said all those engaged in the current drive must themselves set an example. The officials must walk or cycle. "Why everyone is thinking of cars, why not we develop efficient and affordable public transport. Agra gets enough funds and revenue from tourism, but a tourist last year died while walking when he fell into a gutter. We need a radical overhaul of the mindset of the people and the administrators."

The Action Plan for Better Agra suggests among other things: "one way traffic in tourist areas, demolition of encroachments, stiff fines and penalty on those who flout traffic rules, widening of roads, shifting of statues, memorials and shrines from MG Road, dedicated lanes for cyclists and pedestrians, provision of efficient and convenient public transport system, disciplining of auto-rickshaws which have been described as a major problem on Agra roads, no vehicles zones within the city, promotion of cycling in a big way, at least for short distances to begin with."

Shravan Kumar Singh said, "Recently the Mysore district authorities have launched a campaign to popularize cycles. From commissioner to the clerk everyone comes on the cycle to the offices every Monday, and the programme is a huge success."

Chaos on the roads is proving fatal to pedestrians and the common man. Agra's tourism industry is badly affected and we are not doing anything, lamented Rajiv Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Agents.

Rakesh Chauhan, president of Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association has promised to support the campaign.

Anand Rai and Sudershan Dua, conveners of the drive against encroachments in Agra said: "school managements have to be persuaded to change school timings, allowing for a 15 minute gap between one school and the other. The Wazirpura road has a dozen schools named after Saints, with a combined strength of 30,000. Once classes for the day get over, all of them come out in the afternoon, its chaos for hours. Cars are stranded, children keep sweating and precious fuel is wasted due to the jam. Why are we so helpless? Why can’t we citizens take the initiative and restore order on our roads?" Their Facebook page ‘Atikraman ke khilaf Agra’, has more than 500 followers.

Piyush Pandey, cyber journalist, said: "this looks like a unique civic campaign. The results will be eagerly watched. More fruitful would be the exercise if simultaneously some action programmes are organized."

How far the campaign will go, and what lasting benefits will accrue, nobody can tell, but "this urban predicament is symptomatic of a general deterioration as all our cities are degenerating into civilization sinks due to haphazard urban planning. What do you expect when you have more vehicles on roads than the space available and when everyone is in a hurry to get across, come what may?" asks social activist Sudheir Gupta.