Anticipating heavy footfall during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s final journey on Friday, central Delhi has been put under tight security. The traffic police has cordoned off 25 roads in the area for traffic movement from 8 a.m. onwards.
A police officer said they had a meeting with the authorities concerned to make adequate arrangements for the funeral procession.
“Security arrangements made for Independence Day have been extended. More than 20,000 security personnel have been deployed to felicitate crowd movement during the funeral procession,” said a senior police officer.
Several important roads such as Krishna Menon Marg, Akbar Road, Janpath and India Gate C-Hexagon, among others, will be closed. The funeral procession will move from Krishna Menon Marg to the BJP head office at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg and thereafter, it will move to Shanti Van.
Also, traffic will not be permitted on lower Ring Road from ISBT Kashmere Gate towards Shanti Van and from IP flyover towards Rajghat.
Arrangements for the last rites are being made by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Procurement of wood, flowers and priests will be carried out as instructed by the BJP, a civic body official said. He added that the ghat is about one and a half acres in size. The road beside the plot will accommodate any excess crowd.
The civic body will also ensure cleanliness on the procession route. Deputy Commissioner Ruchika Katyal has been put incharge to oversee the work.
Meanwhile, the central commercial area of the Capital — Connaught Place — will remain closed till 4 p.m. on Friday as a “mark of respect” for Mr. Vajpayee, the New Delhi Traders’ Association said in a statement on Thursday.