Traders of the iconic Connaught Place market have called for a complete shut down on Tuesday to protest the plan to make middle and inner circle vehicle-free.
“CP will be closed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to protest against the decision to make middle and inner circle vehicle-free,” said Atul Bhargav, president of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA).
The decision to make CP vehicle-free was announced last month following a meeting chaired by Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu and attended by officials of the Urban Development Ministry, the NDMC and the Delhi Police. As per the plan, the middle and inner circular roads of CP were to be made vehicle-free from February for three months on a pilot basis, a move aimed at decongesting the area.
However, the plan is yet to take off. The civic body is exploring ways of executing the initiative and negotiations with various stakeholders are going on.
‘Strong disagreement’
“CP will be closed on Tuesday as traders want to voice their strong disagreement against the change in traffic and parking planning in the market. We will gather to chalk out a strategy if our demands are not heard,” said Mr. Bhargav.
NDMC officials said that the modalities for execution of the plan are being worked out and discussions are on with traders and other stakeholders to assure them that the move will not cause financial loss to them. “Traders are concerned and we have been assuring them that a dedicated implementation of the plan will not cause any loss to them,” a senior NDMC official said.
The drive, which was expected to begin from February 1, is likely to kick-start by end of this month or early March.
