Blocked KG Marg leads to snarls

Monday afternoon proved to be a nightmarish experience for commuters and office-goers in Connaught Place.

Monday afternoon proved to be a nightmarish experience for commuters and office-goers in Connaught Place.

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Following a rally of approximately 200 people, which began from the Ramlila Ground and proceeded to Jantar Mantar, Kasturba Gandhi Marg was blocked.

This caused traffic snarls on the entire stretch, which resulted in a traffic jam in Connaught Place's outer circle as well.

Commuters were severely inconvenienced as one of the city's arterial routes was sealed off for almost half-an-hour.

"It is ridiculous for groups to rally on such important routes. We faced similar problems when Anna Hazare was rallying a few months back. KG Marg is a connecting road and even the police should have thought twice before sealing it off," said Aman Chawla, a commuter.

The police had barricaded the entire stretch of KG Marg, leaving only Tolstoy Marg open, which was used only by the protesters.

The rally, which was spearheaded by Udit Raj, national chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ ST Organisations, sought to demand a removal of the contract system especially for sanitation workers. It also demanded a smoother system, which would expedite the process of availing caste certificates.