Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi returned to the Capital on Thursday amid much fanfare to conclude his “Kisan Yatra”. But this translated into delays for many Delhiites who were caught in the consequent traffic jams thanks to his supporters pouring in during peak hour and the “inadequate” arrangements made by the traffic police.
Jams were reported from all over the Capital, especially during the second half of the day. Many motorists were left stranded for hours in the Lutyens’ Zone with a final meeting scheduled near Jantar Mantar. The spillover effect was felt across the city.
Parts of east, central and south Delhi, including stretches on Ring Road, were among the worst-affected with many vehicles sporting the Congress flags visible.
Traffic helpline flooded
A traffic official said that after entering the Capital from Ghazipur, Mr. Gandhi halted at different points, which added to the situation. The traffic helpline also received calls from Inderpuri, Nigambodh Ghat, Geeta Colony, ITO and Laxmi Nagar, besides the area around Khan Market.
Stuck at one of these stretches was Vipin, who recounted his experience for The Hindu and blamed the police for failing to issue an advisory. “There was no advisory regarding congestion on the Old ITO Bridge where traffic is usually slow around 6 p.m., but not bumper-to-bumper as it was due to the Congress programme on Thursday evening. Had I known, I would have taken the Rajghat route,” he said.
Commuters upset
“Not a single traffic policeman could be seen on the entire route. Worse still, the right turn opposite the School of Planning and Architecture was prohibited like it usually is. Had the police chosen not to go ahead with their daily routine (by shutting the right turn), there could have been a significant reduction in congestion with those headed towards Old Delhi branching out,” Vipin said.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Garima Bhatnagar said that the police could not have issued an advisory as the organisers did not provide an exact number of supporters who were expected to be present, and that the turnout proved to much more than expected. “We expected the traffic volume to be heavier than usual, but did not anticipate so many people attending the gathering,” said Ms. Bhatnagar.
Though she admitted to slow traffic movement in several places, she denied reports of a standstill.
We expected the traffic volume to be heavier than usual, but did not anticipate so many people to gather
