Chock-a-block traffic greeted Delhi on Diwali weekend
13 Nov 2012 4:24 AM IST
On the occasion of Dhanteras and being the last weekend before Diwali, the city saw massive traffic snarls on Sunday, especially in the evening between 5 pm and 9 pm in various markets and near jewellery shops.
Traffic near market areas like Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, South Extension , Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Connaught Place and Janpath was jammed heavily due to the queuing vehicles that were constantly entering and exiting the market areas.
All the jewellery shops, in the capital, especially in Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk, were overcrowded with people.
The roads connecting to the markets such as Feroz Gandhi Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Road, Moolchand, Chirag Delhi, Nehru Place, Veer Savarkar Marg mostly faced slow traffic. A major jam was seen along the arterial roads such as Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Vikas Marg, Mathura Road, Aurobindo Road, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, NH-24 and ITO.
‘Though Delhi Traffic police had deployed around 5,000 officers, along with policemen riding on bikes and cranes, the traffic went berserk during the peak hours in market areas,’ said Geeta Joshi, a shopper at Karol Bagh. ‘It was almost a stampede-like situation in Chandni Chowk: the customers were pouring in since morning,’ said Kabir, a Jewellery shop employee.
‘A lot of Delhiites were on the roads on Saturday and Sunday, visiting various markets, distributing gifts and visiting relatives. Since its weekend, people were busy doing last minute shopping, as well’ said a traffic official.
‘It is impossible to travel in cars nearby market areas, so I opted to walk to the market,’ said Tithi Ghosh, a student, staying in South Extension.
‘I have to park my car far from the market, near some residential places as there were no proper parking spaces near the market,’ said Sumit Gupta, a shopper in Janpath.
‘No one bothers about how and where they are parking their cars, thus creating a chaos,’ said Geeta Sharma, a resident of Greater Kailash.
It was a similar situation at Delhi Metro stations on Sunday. The trains were overcrowded, through the day, in all the lines, especially in the blue, violet and yellow line. These lines directly connect the main markets like Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk and Connaught Place.
‘We have deployed 17 trains in place of 12 in each line to handle festival rush,’ said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal. He also said that there will be no Metro services after 8 pm on Diwali.
Delhi Traffic Police have advised the Delhiites to use public transport while visiting markets because of the acute lack of parking spaces.
Traffic near market areas like Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, South Extension , Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Connaught Place and Janpath was jammed heavily due to the queuing vehicles that were constantly entering and exiting the market areas.
All the jewellery shops, in the capital, especially in Karol Bagh and Chandni Chowk, were overcrowded with people.
The roads connecting to the markets such as Feroz Gandhi Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Road, Moolchand, Chirag Delhi, Nehru Place, Veer Savarkar Marg mostly faced slow traffic. A major jam was seen along the arterial roads such as Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Vikas Marg, Mathura Road, Aurobindo Road, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, NH-24 and ITO.
‘Though Delhi Traffic police had deployed around 5,000 officers, along with policemen riding on bikes and cranes, the traffic went berserk during the peak hours in market areas,’ said Geeta Joshi, a shopper at Karol Bagh. ‘It was almost a stampede-like situation in Chandni Chowk: the customers were pouring in since morning,’ said Kabir, a Jewellery shop employee.
‘A lot of Delhiites were on the roads on Saturday and Sunday, visiting various markets, distributing gifts and visiting relatives. Since its weekend, people were busy doing last minute shopping, as well’ said a traffic official.
‘It is impossible to travel in cars nearby market areas, so I opted to walk to the market,’ said Tithi Ghosh, a student, staying in South Extension.
‘I have to park my car far from the market, near some residential places as there were no proper parking spaces near the market,’ said Sumit Gupta, a shopper in Janpath.
‘No one bothers about how and where they are parking their cars, thus creating a chaos,’ said Geeta Sharma, a resident of Greater Kailash.
It was a similar situation at Delhi Metro stations on Sunday. The trains were overcrowded, through the day, in all the lines, especially in the blue, violet and yellow line. These lines directly connect the main markets like Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk and Connaught Place.
‘We have deployed 17 trains in place of 12 in each line to handle festival rush,’ said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal. He also said that there will be no Metro services after 8 pm on Diwali.
Delhi Traffic Police have advised the Delhiites to use public transport while visiting markets because of the acute lack of parking spaces.
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