Cops lose sleep over traffic near PM house

A kilometre-long stretch on the dedicated Commonwealth Games lane is giving sleepless nights to the security agencies, including the Delhi police.

A kilometre-long stretch on the dedicated Commonwealth Games lane is giving sleepless nights to the security agencies, including the Delhi police. What's more, the fact that the Prime Minister's residence is on the same road — Kamal Ataturk Marg — has added to their trouble.

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Even after much brainstorming to exclude this road, the Kamal Ataturk Marg has been included in the 105-km-long Commonwealth Games dedicated lane owing to its proximity to the two Games hotel — Ashok and Samrat — and the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, which is the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The Kamal Ataturk Marg is a two-lane road. On normal days during peak hours, the traffic backlog extends till the doorstep of the PM's house.

"We are just worried about the traffic situation on this road as it has only two lanes. Obviously one lane has been declared a dedicated lane so the traffic is expected to be heavy on this stretch," said a senior police officer.

The police said adequate measures will be taken to protect the boundary areas of the Prime Minister's residence.

Besides, additional policemen will be deployed on this stretch. The police said they already had plans to deploy policemen in plainclothes on the route.

"The road could not be excluded since it connects the two official hotels, where the delegates and officials will be put up. We would take adequate measures to keep the traffic situation normal. All spots will be manned by policemen," he said.

It is part of the Games protocol to dedicate a lane for the convoy of the Commonwealth Games cavalcade and buses.

"The question of the PM getting stuck in traffic jam does not arise as he would be anyway using the dedicated lane," said the officer.