A smooth ride or only chaos?

From the third week of June, motorists would do well to heed the directions and the advice of the Delhi traffic police. Or else chaos and confusing would rule the capital’s roads. Subhendu Ray reports.

From the third week of June, motorists would do well to heed the directions and the advice of the Delhi traffic police. Or else chaos and confusing would rule the capital’s roads.

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The traffic police are beginning trials on some of the busiest road stretches in South Delhi to prepare for the final task of changing 36 driving lanes on the ‘Games route’ — from the airport to the Games Village in east Delhi — during the Commonwealth Games.

R. Narayanaswami, Special Adviser, Commonwealth Games, recently proposed 36 different lane changes on the ‘Games route’ in his presentation on ‘Lane Reservation for CWG Traffic’. The Lt Governor of Delhi has approved the plan.

Stretches that are part of ‘Games route’

Major lanes to be changed on the following roads: Parade Road and NH 8 'T' Point, Safdarjung Road and Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road and Aurobindo Marg, Lodhi Road and Aurobindo Marg, Ring Road and NH 24 'T' Point, Secretariat Road and Ring Road, DND Flyover, Ring Road and Capt. Gaur Marg, Outer Ring Road and Capt. Gaur Marg, Safdarjunj Airport Flyover.

Narayanaswami said: “Lane reservation has been proposed in a bid to facilitate movement of all important transportation to Games related venues by movement on lanes reserved for such traffic.”

But the Delhi Traffic Police (DTP) fear the lane change will badly affect traffic movement on the Games route.

Ajay Chadha, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said, “Managing traffic will be a major challenge for us due to lane change. Educating people and making them obey the rules would be really tough.”

“Anticipating chaos, we have sought permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allow us to penalise the violators. If we do not get this permission till two months before the Games, the last option would be to impose emergency on the Games route under Section 144 of CrPC,” said Ajay Chadha, special CP (Traffic).

Section 144 CrPC confers powers to issue an order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger.
The stretches on which the lanes would be changed include roads between Parade Road (near Delhi Cant) and NH-8 ‘T’ Point, Safdarjung Road and Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road and Aurobindo Marg, Lodhi Road and Aurobindo Marg, Ring Road and NH-24 ‘T’ Point, Secretariat Road and Ring Road, DND Flyover among others.