Ahead of a proposed protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, October 10, Delhi is under an unprecedented security blanket, with around 25,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed across the city.
Delhi Police has denied permission for the proposed demonstration against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing inadequate notice and concerns over compliance with rules during an earlier protest.
The commute for those travelling to New Delhi from Noida or Gurugram will likely be severely affected today.
As many as 45 metro stations face entry and exit restrictions, and surveillance has been increased at the national capital’s borders, railway stations, bus terminals and other sensitive locations.
With restrictions affecting major transport hubs and several parts of the city, commuters have been advised to check official announcements and plan their journeys accordingly.
Border bottlenecks and security checks
The congestion, which began building up on Friday evening, has turned major arterial routes into severe bottlenecks.
The stretch between Sarita Vihar and the Kalindi Kunj border, a primary artery for Delhi-Noida traffic, witnessed bumper-to-bumper vehicle queues extending over long distances on Friday.
Similarly, at the Sarhaul border connecting Gurugram to Delhi, heavy police barricading and security screenings have drastically reduced carriageway space, creating long lines of cars and buses. The spillover effect has congested connecting roads from Cyber City, Udyog Vihar, and MG Road.
Personnel from the Delhi and Gurugram traffic police have been deployed at the border and nearby intersections to regulate vehicle movement.
Police have also intensified vehicle checks at these border points, inspecting buses and screening groups of passengers deemed suspicious.
According to reports, regular journeys that normally take 15 to 20 minutes are currently stretching into gruelling 1-2 hour waits.
Motorists are being advised to remain patient and consider alternative routes such as the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway and MG Road where feasible.
City-wide traffic advisory and key diversions
Inside the capital, the Delhi Traffic Police rolled out a comprehensive advisory warning of diversions at 30 key locations starting from 6 am on Saturday.
Delhi Traffic Police has warned of disruptions around Connaught Place, Mandi House, Jantar Mantar, Patel Chowk and other key intersections in central Delhi.
According to the traffic advisory, the affected stretches include the Ashoka Road-Jantar Mantar Road roundabout, Tolstoy Marg-Janpath crossing, Jai Singh Road-Sansad Marg crossing, Rail Bhawan roundabout, Patel Chowk, Gol Dak Khana and Windsor Place.
Traffic movement may also be affected at Mandi House, the Chelmsford Road and Sansad Marg intersections with Connaught Place’s outer circle, the Barakhamba Road intersection and the Minto Road-Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg junction.
Other locations include the Chelmsford Road-Connaught Place outer circle intersection, Bharion Road-Mahatma Gandhi Marg intersection, Lodhi Road flyover, Neela Gumbad roundabout, Madarsa T-point, Samrat Hotel roundabout, Sardar Patel Marg-Panchsheel Marg crossing, the underpasses beneath the Bhikaji Cama Place and Moti Bagh flyovers, and the Ring Road-San Martin Marg intersection.
Commuters have been urged to avoid non-essential travel towards railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs), and the airport via New Delhi and Central Delhi.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Dinesh Gupta clarified that while no roads are completely closed off, real-time decisions on traffic management are being implemented based on the evolving law-and-order situation on the ground.
Public transport severely restricted
Those hoping to rely on public transportation to bypass the road traffic will find little relief, as the transit network is facing massive operational curbs.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed the entry and exit gates at 45 Delhi Metro stations from Friday night. The affected stations include Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, New Delhi, Patel Chowk, Mandi House, Janpath, Supreme Court, ITO, Kashmere Gate and several stations in south and northeast Delhi.
According to DMRC, the restrictions will remain in place on Saturday until further notice. Interchange facilities will be available at the affected stations, except at the New Delhi metro station, where restrictions will apply.
Railway passengers are also likely to face disruptions, with several trains scheduled to arrive at or depart from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations between 4 am and 2 pm reported cancelled.
However, Police have clarified that passengers with valid train tickets will not be stopped from travelling and that action will be taken against those attempting to breach law and order.
Despite the heavy deployment of security personnel and sweeping transit bans, the Supreme Court on Friday weighed in on the situation, backing the right to protest and criticising the blanket transit bans in Delhi as “over-reaching”.
Article source: livemint.com
