No New Year revelries

Dug-up sidewalks and barricaded corridors have severely limited the parking capacity in the outer circle and half of the allotted parking space is serving as a ration depot for sand, cement and other construction material in the middle circle, reports Jatin Anand.

Finding a place to park has suddenly become difficult at Connaught Place.

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Dug-up sidewalks and barricaded corridors have severely limited the parking capacity in the outer circle and half of the allotted parking space is serving as a ration depot for sand, cement and other construction material in the middle circle.

And it is just going to get worse in the New Year.

As work goes into full swing, no parking will be allowed in the Outer and Middle Circle of Connaught Place from January 1.

“The NDMC should have thought this through,” said Khurshid Alam (35), a businessman.

“Shoppers like me, who come to CP looking forward to a nice time with our families, have to wait for hours before finding a place to park our car. Getting your car out of the market after a tiring day of shopping takes another hour,” he said.

Paucity of parking space has forced shoppers to turn to other modes of transport, only to find out the Metro is not easy either.

“I chose to take the Metro instead of bringing my car here after my cousin told me he had to wait for an hour to get out of a jam on Saturday,” said Abhay Sharma (23), a resident of Dilshad Garden.

“Because of the holiday season and with schools and colleges shut, the rush of commuters was unbearable.”

Some people are also stopping their vehicles wherever they manage to find space.

Shashi Kant (32), a software executive, waited in his car for two hours while his wife and son went shopping.

“What could have I done? We looked for a parking space for more than an hour, but when we couldn't find one, I decided to let them go and wait in the car,” he said.