Car-free CP: Pressure from Delhi traders delays pedestrian-only plan again

The three-month trial for a car-free Connaught Place, which was slated to begin from Feb 1, has been put off after opposition from traders in the popular shopping hub in the heart of Delhi.

The three-month trial run of the project to make Connaught Place car-free has been put off for a fortnight and will take another 15-20 days to start, New Delhi Municipal Council chairman Naresh Kumar told HT. The trial, slated to kick off on February 1, has been postponed due to lack of unanimity over execution of the plan among the stakeholders, especially the traders, who have opposed the idea and even took to protest on Tuesday.

The plan, which was given a go-ahead by the Union urban development ministry after extensive talks with NDMC and traffic police officials in early January, aims to decongest the heritage shopping arcade in central Delhi. (Ravi Choudhary/HT FILE)

“We are still in consultation with all the stakeholders. We are also waiting for the traders’ feedback on the two proposed ways to start this project. It will tentatively take 15-20 days for this initiative to be rolled out,” Kumar said.

The traders, meanwhile, met Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal last week over the issue. After that he had convened a meeting with commissioner of police, NDMC chairperson, the joint secretary responsible for this project in the Union urban development ministry and Delhi chief secretary, New Delhi Traders Association members say.

The plan, which was given a go-ahead by the Union urban development ministry after extensive talks with NDMC and traffic police officials in early January, aims to decongest the heritage shopping arcade in central Delhi. Nearly 2,000 parking spaces will be removed, which include 1,500 from the Inner Circle and 400-500 from the Middle Circle, as this site with a daily footfall of nearly 5 lakh, will turn pedestrian friendly.

However, NDMC officials have said that the plan can be called off before its full duration of three months based on the response.

Pedestrian-only zones are popular abroad. London, Montreal and Copenhagen have areas where no vehicles are allowed. Many cities in Europe and Asia also have car-free zones. In Puducherry, Goubert Avenue that runs along the French Quarters is closed to motorised vehicles after 5pm.