Central Vista opening ceremony: Traffic hurdles, but Delhi was prepared

Delhi traffic police officers said 500 traffic police personnel were deployed in the area to manage traffic in and around India Gate. All 10 roads leading to the C-Hexagon were barricaded to divert vehicles towards alternative routes prescribed for motorists.

As the India Gate circle also known as C-Hexagon went out of bounds for vehicular and general pedestrian movement between 6pm and 9pm for the opening ceremony of the Central Vista Avenue on Thursday, traffic snarls were witnessed on some arterial roads in central Delhi, traffic officers said.

Traffic congestion on Ferozshah Road due to diversions for the inauguration ceremony of revamped Central Vista Lawns, in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, September 8, 2022. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

The officers said 500 traffic police personnel were deployed in the area to manage traffic in and around India Gate.

All 10 roads leading to the C-Hexagon were barricaded to divert vehicles towards alternative routes prescribed for motorists.

According to traffic police, slow movement of traffic was reported from Firozeshah Road, Prithviraj Road, Barakhamba Road, Mandi House roundabout, Sikandra Road towards Tilak Marg, Minto Road towards Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Bhagwan Das Road and Mathura Road. However, the jams did not persist for more than an hour, officers said.

Traffic was also heavy near Barapulla flyover from INA Market, Outer Ring Road between IP flyover and Ashram Chowk, Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway, and Mathura Road towards Badarpur. In central Delhi, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Faiz Road, Jhandewalan and Karol Bagh reported slow moving traffic.

The police and other agencies expected a huge turnout of people, especially children, at the Central Vista Avenue around the Kartavya Path after 9pm following its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They expected a footfall of nearly 300,000 people and made special arrangements such as park-and-ride facilities from four pick-up points – Bhairon Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Rajghat and Connaught Place.

Eventually, however, as crowds in the area remained thin, authorities scaled down traffic and security arrangements by 10pm.