NDMC carries out trial run to make CP area car-free zone

New Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Sunday carried out car-free trial run to make Connaught Place (CP) area more pedestrian friendly. To make the run a success, the NDMC had on Saturday carried out a mock drill.

The major interventions during the trial run shall be-a) Restricted entry to inner circle, only CP-destined vehicle were allowed to park in dedicated parking lots and underground Palika parking, b) direct entry from Radial -1 & Radial -4 to be restricted, c) Auto/taxi were restricted access to Inner Circle and will only be allowed to use middle circle for exit to outer circle d) Designated pick and drop facilities for taxi and auto were operated from six zones on the Radial roads. The trail run took place for 12 hours on Sunday between 9 am to 9 pm.

The civic body had said the vehicular movement to the shopping hub would be restricted this Sunday and Monday as the NDMC plans to execute its pedestrian-friendly plan. However, now the plan was tested on Sunday only. "A full-fledged plan to make Connaught Place pedestrian-friendly will be prepared based on the success of the trial run and after taking inputs from all stakeholders," said a senior NDMC official.

In January 2017, then Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu had proposed the idea later taken forward by the NDMC.

However, the plan never took off owing to strong opposition from traders. This month, the NDMC announced it will do a trial run of the plan for two consecutive weekends. Traders had raised objection to the plan, following which the NDMC tweaked it. The initial plan was to make the inner circle completely car-free and giving access to all parking areas in the inner and outer circles to car owners. Connaught Place market and Chandni Chowk were initially chosen for pedestrianisation in the national capital.

Traders claim footfall in inner circle reduced massively

New Delhi: There was chaos in parts of Connaught Place on Sunday as the NDMC set in motion its plan to make the shopping hub pedestrian-friendly, inviting sharp criticism from traders who claimed the footfall in the inner circle reduced massively. Visitors complained of inconvenience, saying the parking areas are far and chaotic. "It's okay for people who take the metro to CP, they can take the required exit. But there's no auto-service for them if they want to go to another block. They will have to walk," said Shradha Gupta, who was visiting the area with her family for lunch.

Nipunika Shahid, who had to leave her car near Shivaji Stadium, said, "Since the entire inner circle parking was blocked, there was total chaos in the middle circle parking area. I had to go all the way to Shivaji Stadium metro station and walk back to CP".

Representatives at United Coffee House, a popular joint, said they usually have at least half-an-hour waiting time for visitors but on Sunday, only five tables were occupied. "In B-Block parking, entry point is now exit point and exit is entry. And the parking machines are not supporting this change. Parking attendants are going crazy," another visitor said.

Vinay Behel, the treasurer of the New Delhi Traders Association, said, "We were assured that there would be no stopping of vehicles into inner circle for access to parking lots but it was the opposite and caused huge inconvenience to customers. And where are the pedestrians? Even the regular crowd has gone away." "It is total chaotic. The footfall has fallen by 85-90 per cent. The business is affected and customers are at inconvenience. Who is benefiting from this plan?" said Amit Gupta, a trader.