World Food India takes a toll on Delhi traffic

NEW DELHI: The India Gate area in Lutyens' Delhi saw heavy traffic congestion and jams, courtesy of heavy footfall at the World Food India festival, which opened at India Gate on Friday.

VVIP movement, including arrival of large number of delegates at the food festival, choked roads, affecting vehicular movement on several roads, a senior traffic police official said.

The traffic situation was further worsened by the large number of vehicles on the roads. Traffic spilled over to Vikas Marg from Bhairon Marg, where a parking space was arranged for the visitors at the festival. This caused heavy traffic on Vikas Marg from Laxmi Nagar to ITO.

Delhi Traffic Police alerted commuters on its official Twitter handle about the heavy traffic near India Gate and other parts of the city.

Roads heading to India Gate, including Ashoka Road, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Akbar Road, Zakir Hussain Marg, and Shahjahan Road were also congested due to barricading by police to divert traffic away from the venue.

The three-day festival is being organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries at the India Gate lawns from November 3 to 5.