Vehicular movement on at least 11 stretches of road in central Delhi and its surrounding areas is likely to remain affected on Sunday, as traffic restrictions and diversions will be in place for the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s “Chalo Dilli” rally scheduled at Ramlila Maidan, senior Delhi Traffic Police officers said on Saturday.
HT had earlier reported that all roads to Ramlila Maidan will be heavily barricaded and manned to ensure people gathering at the venue for the rally do not march towards Jantar Mantar and other restricted zones, and a contingency plan will be in place for immediate evacuation of top politicians in case of an emergency and possible disruptions. Congress and other opposition parties have called the rally against the alleged irregularities in the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. As a large gathering of politicians from various opposition parties, their supporters, and people from student organisations and other groups is expected to join the rally, traffic on roads adjoining the Ramlila Maidan and in surrounding areas will be regulated and diverted as required. Through a traffic advisory, the traffic police advised passengers travelling to New Delhi railway station to proceed via Chelmsford Road – Outer Circle of Connaught Place – Minto Road – Bhavbhuti Marg while coming from DBG Road side. Those coming from East Delhi should take the route via ITO – DDU Marg – Bhavbhuti Marg to reach the Ajmeri Gate side of the station. “Passengers should plan their journey in advance and keep sufficient time to reach the station. We also urge the public to use public transport, preferably the Delhi Metro trains, wherever possible, to park their vehicles only at designated parking places, to avoid roadside parking, and to keep the carriageway clear for traffic and emergency vehicles. They should follow the instructions of traffic police personnel deployed on the ground. They should also report any suspicious person or unattended object to the police,” added the DCP. The Ramlila contingency plan involves top leaders, including the Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. A gate of the Ramlila Ground has been earmarked for safe evacuation. A temporary police control room has been set up around the venue to monitor live video feed from cameras and relay requisite directions to security personnel deployed in and around the ground.
Nearly 350 traffic personnel and more than 100 home guards will remain deployed on roads leading to the venue from central and New Delhi areas, the officers said, adding that elaborate traffic and security arrangements will be in place for the event. More than 3,000 Delhi Police personnel and several companies of armed paramilitary forces equipped with anti-riot gear will remain deployed in and around the venue. Deputy commissioner of police (central range traffic) K Ramesh said that depending on traffic conditions, the traffic police have created 10 diversion points where vehicles may be diverted from 10am to 5pm. The 10 diversion points will be Netaji Subhash Marg T-Point, Rajghat, Delhi Gate, ITO A-Point, Ajmeri Gate traffic signal, Ranjit Singh flyover at Barakhambha Road, Bhavbhuti Marg–DDU Marg traffic signal, Jhandewalan roundabout, Turkman Gate, and Mirdard Chowk, the DCP said, adding that traffic personnel in sufficient numbers will remain present at all the diversion points to guide motorists. The 11 stretches likely to be affected are Bahadur Shah Zafar (BSZ) Marg (from ITO to Delhi Gate), Jawaharlal Nehru Marg (Rajghat to Delhi Gate to Guru Nanak Chowk to Ajmeri Gate), Aruna Asaf Ali Road (Ajmeri Gate to Hamdard Chowk to Turkman Gate to Delhi Gate), Minto Road–Kamla Market Roundabout–Hamdard Chowk, Ranjit Singh Flyover to Turkman Gate, DBG Road (Roundabout Jhandewalan towards Ajmeri Gate Chowk), W-Point (BSZ Marg), Barakhamba Road towards Mandi House roundabout to Sikandra Road, Kasturba Gandhi (KG) Marg-Firozshah Road, Chelmsford Road, and Minto Road, the traffic police said. A senior police officer said that nearly 250 high-definition (HD) and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled CCTV cameras will cover the area.
In addition to the affected roads and diverted points, the traffic police said vehicular movement will remain under regulation and will be permitted as per the prevailing traffic situation and operational requirements on four stretches around the Ramlila Maidan such as Guru Nanak Chowk to Kamla Market roundabout, Kamla Market roundabout to Hamdard Chowk, Hamdard Chowk to Turkman Gate, and Turkman Gate to Guru Nanak Chowk. “During the rally, movement of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will be restricted and permitted depending upon the prevailing traffic situation on BSZ Marg, the entire stretch of Rajghat to JLN Marg, DBG Road, and Minto Road,” said DCP Ramesh.
