G20 traffic rehearsals go off smoothly: Delhi Police

The rehearsals also included full deployment of security, traffic personnel, ambulances and fire fighters at the venues, officers said

Barring short traffic holdups at certain locations, the rehearsals for the G20 Summit next week went smoothly on Sunday, the Delhi Traffic Police said, adding that three shifts of carcades passed through various stretches of the Capital.

Delhi Police and traffic police personnel conduct carcade rehearsal for the G20 Summit, near ITO in New Delhi on Sunday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

On Saturday, too, three carcade rehearsals — also held in three shifts — were conducted smoothly, officials said.

Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Aalap Patel said that the rehearsals on Sunday were to prepare traffic officers and security personnel for the movement of G20 Summit guests on September 10.

“The movements during the rehearsals today were from the hotels in Delhi to Rajghat and to Pragati Maidan, and back again to the hotels and then to the airport,” said Patel, adding that these movements on September 10 will take place between 7am and 11pm.

The rehearsals also included full deployment of security, traffic personnel, ambulances and fire fighters at the venues, officers said.

“Saturday’s rehearsals were in preparation for the movements on September 9, when guests would travel from their hotels to Pragati Maidan,” Patel said, adding that rehearsals on both days went smoothly.

The 33 affected points and stretches on Sunday included Sardar Patel Marg, Kautilya Marg, Mathura Road, Rajghat Chowk, Shanti Van Chowk, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, IP Flyover, C-Hexagon, Teen Murti roundabout, Janpath-Kartavya Path, Zakir Hussain Marg, Tolstoy Marg-Janpath, under Lodhi Flyover, under Chirag Delhi Flyover, Sher Shah Road and Joseph Tito Marg-Siri Fort Road. Sardar Patel Marg is the road taken by a large number of commuters to travel from the airport to the central parts of the city.

On Saturday, the restrictions were in effect on 28 stretches for a total of nine hours to facilitate the movement of carcades from different parts of the city towards the New Delhi district.

The traffic police also said that the cascading effect of the restrictions were limited on Sunday. “Since Sunday is a holiday, there were hardly any issues. We did not have to divert too many buses, and the public largely cooperated and kept away in the crucial hours, possibly because of our advisories,” said Patel.

“The advisories issued by the police were quite detailed. When I did venture to Connaught Place in the evening, the roads were largely free of traffic,” said Satyarth Sinha, a commuter.

However, a few commuters complained of jams at the ITO junction around the time of the morning rehearsal.

“Why was the ITO road closed for commuters? We were stuck in a jam that lasted over 20 minutes,” said Aditya Sen, a commuter.

Patel said that no more “major” traffic rehearsals are scheduled till the delegates arrive. “In case there is any rehearsal that can affect the public, we’ll keep them informed,” Patel said.

The main restrictions on the movement of the public and vehicles will apply on three days — September 8, 9 and 10 — with restrictions being the most stringent on the last two days. The restrictions will particularly be strict in New Delhi district — also known as the Lutyens’ Zone — where only residents and those in essential services will be allowed to enter after providing proof of their identity.