Traffic police prepare for Anna’s protest

As if the monsoon, potholed roads and a perpetual parking crunch weren’t woes enough, anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare’s fast-unto-death is bound to bring the Capital’s traffic to its knees. Jatin Anand and Subhendu Ray report.

As if the monsoon, potholed roads and a perpetual parking crunch weren’t woes enough, anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare’s fast-unto-death is bound to bring the Capital’s traffic to its knees.

HT Image

Come Tuesday, the activist’s massive support-base will converge at Jai Prakash Narayan Park, adjacent to the Ferozeshah Kotla Grounds. The said park is only accessible by road and, whenever cricket matches are held at the Kotla Stadium, is used as a parking lot that can at best accommodate 200 vehicles.

“We know the location as Parking Number 1. The venue is accessible mostly by road as there is no metro station in its vicinity,” said a senior traffic police officer.

Sources said the convergence of thousands of Anna supporters at the park, which can accommodate over 10,000 persons, has the potential to clog not only internal routes such as SP Mukherjee Marg, Ansari Road and Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, but may also paralyse vehicular movement on the Ring Road.

As a result, traffic police will have no alternative but to make participants walk-down to the venue after parking their vehicles a good one to two kilometres away from the venue.

“Given the fact that it is located bang in the middle of the Capital, we will provide assistance for pedestrian movement for those participating in the rally who will be required to park their vehicles at adjacent locations such as Rajghat or Mata Sundari Marg and walk down from there,” the officer said.

Police said facilitating pedestrian movement would be one of its primary focuses.