Delhi: As visitors flock to India Gate, traffic at standstill

The increasing pedestrian traffic peaked around 6pm, and by late evening, police estimated at least 10,000 people visited India Gate

Thousands of visitors thronged India Gate and the War Memorial on Tuesday to celebrate Independence Day, leading to massive traffic snarls around the C-Hexagon.

Crowds at Kartavya Path and India Gate lawns celebrate Independence Day. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

As part of the festivities, traffic restrictions were put in place around India Gate from 5am till 11.30am. However, once curbs were lifted, the crowds started arriving at the memorial, first in a trickle and then in a flood.

By 2pm, the rush of pedestrians — and haphazard parking of auto-rickshaws — at C-Hexagon and Kartavya Path led to vehicles taking up to 30 minutes to cross the 800m stretch between Pandara Road (Bikaner House) and Baroda House.

Though auto-rickshaws are usually not allowed to park along C-Hexagon, police officers said they allowed the three-wheelers to halt near India Gate on Tuesday so that pickup and drop facilities were made easier as most visitors to the memorial use public transport.

“We always expect large crowds, mostly pedestrians, to visit India Gate Kartavya Path, and deployment (of police personnel) has been done accordingly. We had already issued an advisory suggesting motorists to avoid the C-Hexagon area... We updated social media platforms by 5pm asking motorists to avoid the C-Hexagon as crowds would increase,” said SS Yadav, special commissioner of police (traffic). Around 5pm, the traffic police also barricaded parts of Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Ashoka Road, and Man Singh Road for the entry of autos.

The spirit of Independence was seen in full fervour at India Gate as visitors arrived dressed in the colours of the National Flag, with many groups enthusiastically waving the Tricolour. People also sported other accessories in saffron, white, and green — wrist bands, dupattas, hair bands, clips, bangles, earrings, caps and scarves. Several vehicles at C-Hexagon had the Tricolour attached to their bumper, with passengers clicking selfies while standing through the sunroof.

Jaydeb Mahto, who works at a shop near Chittaranjan Park, was at the India gate lawns with his family. “This is an annual ritual for us to visit India Gate on Independence Day as the kids have a holiday and even I get a day off,” he said.

The increasing pedestrian traffic peaked around 6pm, and by late evening, police estimated at least 10,000 people visited India Gate. On Monday. Delhi Police had informed that more than 10,000 police personnel were deployed across the city to ensure that the Capital is secure, and that people commute without any inconvenience.