NEW DELHI: Traffic snarls hit several parts of Delhi-NCR on Tuesday as restrictions for the INDIA bloc’s march to the Election Commission added to congestion in central Delhi, while commuters on other key stretches reported heavy traffic and prolonged delays.The INDIA bloc MPs marched from the Parliament House complex towards the Election Commission headquarters to demand the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The Delhi Traffic Police had put special arrangements in place from 8am, regulating or diverting traffic around Connaught Place, Patel Chowk, Parliament Street, Jantar Mantar Road, Ashoka Road and adjoining stretches.Commuters were advised to avoid unnecessary travel through the affected areas and expect barricading, diversions and congestion.Heavy traffic was also reported on the Ring Road near AIIMS-Safdarjung Hospital, in and around Connaught Place, on Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg in Old Delhi and on the Delhi-Noida corridor near Crowne Plaza, Mayur Vihar.
Connaught Place, Old Delhi see heavy congestion
The traffic police separately responded to complaints of prolonged congestion in and around Connaught Place, saying personnel had been deployed at critical junctions and were carrying out active traffic regulation and decongestion measures.On Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg in Old Delhi, the traffic police said movement was slow because of prevailing traffic arrangements and high traffic volume. Personnel were deployed at key points to regulate traffic and ease the congestion.On Ring Road near AIIMS-Safdarjung Hospital, the traffic police said it had alerted the concerned traffic circle for immediate deployment and active regulation at critical junctions, merging points and bottlenecks.It also said special attention was being given to ensuring the unhindered movement of ambulances and emergency vehicles.
Delhi-Noida corridor also hit
Commuters on the Delhi-Noida corridor near Crowne Plaza in Mayur Vihar also reported heavy congestion.Responding to a commuter’s complaint on X, the Delhi Traffic Police said personnel were actively regulating movement and had been deployed at critical merging points and bottlenecks to ensure smoother traffic flow.The traffic police also responded to complaints about congestion around Krishna Menon Marg, Kartavya Path and adjoining roads, saying restrictions were being imposed only when required for operational or security reasons and for the minimum possible duration.
VIP movements add to Delhi’s recurring traffic problem
The traffic disruption comes a day after the movement of Swiss President Guy Parmelin to Rajghat led to road restrictions and lengthy delays for commuters in central Delhi.During Parmelin’s Rajghat visit on Monday, commuters reported being stuck for extended periods around ITO and other key stretches.A recent VIP movement involving Russian President Vladimir Putin had, however, shown that traffic could keep moving despite security restrictions, with congestion clearing relatively quickly.The issue has raised questions over whether better advance planning, deployment and communication can reduce the impact of such movements on daily commuters.
Why is traffic restricted today?
The immediate trigger in central Delhi was the INDIA bloc’s march to the Election Commission over the SIR exercise. The opposition has accused the poll panel of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls and has been demanding Kumar’s resignation.The protest came a day after the Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order suspending Kumar, while issuing notices to the Centre, the Election Commission and Kumar over allegations concerning decision-making during the SIR process.The court said it would examine whether statutory requirements had been followed.The INDIA bloc’s wider campaign includes further protests and programmes against the SIR exercise.For commuters, however, the immediate concern remained the same: long diversions, slow-moving traffic and delays across some of the city’s busiest roads.
