Capital a crawl again

An average Delhiite, who had to visit Connaught Place in the heart of the Capital for at least 103 days in 2010, had to face traffic jams for 45 minutes to more than two hours a day.

An average Delhiite, who had to visit Connaught Place in the heart of the Capital for at least 103 days in 2010, had to face traffic jams for 45 minutes to more than two hours a day.

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There’s a strong possibility that on 3,032 occasions last year, you missed your appointments during peak traffic hours just because some political party or a group of activists or some protestors decided to march to Jantar Mantar in the central part of the city.

The Delhi Police have no options but to stand aside and watch, as they have not been able to find an alternative venue for staging protests.

“We get applications for about four such gatherings everyday. Most of the protests happen during the Parliament session. We provide security so that things do not go out of hand,” said KC Dwivedi, additional commissioner of police.

So, with Parliament in session and the protest and rally season in full swing, every day will prove to be a virtual nightmare for motorists now that the house is in session.

Traffic went for a toss in not only on Tolstoy Marg but other areas of the city as well as a BJP rally against Delhi government turned violent, causing traffic jams at Ashoka Road, Central Secretariat area, Barakhamba Road and Kasturba Gandhi Marg.

Protestors blocked Swami Dayanand Marg for three hours, demanding the police chief intervention in the robbery and murder of a Krishna Nagar jeweller in east Delhi.

On Friday, the scene will be similar, as the Jantar Mantar area has been booked for four protests, including a big one that may be organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party.