Police want hawker-free Rajpath, citizens not happy

Eating ice cream or parking your car on the magnificent Rajpath in the national capital will now be a thing of the past.

Eating ice cream or parking your car on the magnificent Rajpath in the national capital will now be a thing of the past.

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Delhi Police is evicting hawkers selling ice creams, water bottles, peanuts and balloons from the thoroughfare besides banning parking on the road saying these are obstructing the panoramic view of the Rajpath, the 1.5 km long stretch connecting Rashtrapati Bhavan on the Raisana Hills and war memorial India Gate.

However, this move has not gone down well with those coming to the favourite evening hotspot.

Many say police is taking away the charm of their evenings by making them struggle for parking space elsewhere or walking more than a kilometre for an ice cream.

The eviction drive started on Thursday after Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal's direction to police in this regard after he saw hawkers crowding the India Gate area and vehicles parked on the roadside, creating problem for the easy movement of traffic.

"Parking will not be allowed on the Rajpath as also hawking. These are impediments to the panoramic view of the Rajpath. So the Commissioner has directed the local police to take measures to ensure that these are removed from the stretch," a senior police official said.

Police has also suggested that a designated parking space should be arranged and preferred the area behind the water channels on the stretch.