Parking and other glitches

January 27, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:32 am IST - NEW DELHI:

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and actor Mohanlal at the parade on Monday.— Photo: PTI

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and actor Mohanlal at the parade on Monday.— Photo: PTI

Going to see the Republic Day parade is no child’s play. One is required to leave from home and reach the venue at least two hours before the parade begins.

Though the invite states that all persons will have to be seated by 9 a.m., it is well-known that the gates usually close by 8.30 a.m. And that finding a seat after 8 a.m. is impossible. This is followed by a wait in the cold without food or water until the parade ends. However, all the hard work seems worth it by the end.

Monday’s parade was not for most. Besides the weather playing spoilsport, there were other smaller glitches that could have been avoided altogether. This included those who were those unlucky to have been stalled by security long enough to miss the parade itself.

The parking system was a complete mess, with parked cars being directed to other spots later on. With cell phones not allowed inside, many people ended up spending a lot of time searching for their vehicle.

“The cars were made to wait nearly one full hour before they were checked. By the time we walked to the gates, they were shut and we were not allowed inside. We argued for quite a while before they let us in. My sister’s family was not allowed to enter as they all came later than us. They left without seeing the parade,” said one Ms. Singh, who spent nearly half-an-hour after the parade looking for her car and driver.

The national media area, an enclosure reserved for journalists at the parade, was filled by all but journalists.

Some early birds and others who seemed to have “struck a deal” with the ushers were seen sitting there, while press persons with identity cards were told to find another place to sit if they did not have a Press Information Bureau card, that was suddenly required to be produced. Press brochures were then distributed to the public, who used them as umbrellas as soon as it began to rain. Pens and notebooks were allowed after a prolonged fight with the security personnel, who also allowed some people to carry their mobile phones and take pictures during the parade.

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