We erred, says traffic chief on chaos on Delhi roads

A day after vehicular movement was thrown out of gear on city roads due to AutoExpo, Delhi Traffic Police chief Satyendra Garg today admitted it was a "bad show" on their part in dealing with the chaos which led to harrowing times for commuters.

A day after vehicular movement was thrown out of gear on city roads due to the Auto Expo, Delhi Traffic Police chief Satyendra Garg on Saturday admitted it was a "bad show" on their part in dealing with the chaos which led to harrowing times for commuters.

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Traffic was disrupted for hours in central and south Delhi last evening due to AutoExpo in Pragati Maidan and VVIP movement near India Gate.

"For yesterday's traffic difficulties in New Delhi and surrounding areas, there are no excuses. It was bad show on our part. We could have managed the difficult situation much better," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Garg said.

"I am aware of the extreme difficulties people had to go through in the evening particularly around India Gate and all roads around it. We promise to do better in similar circumstances," he said.

With the AutoExpo being billed as the major reason for the mayhem, Garg said that Pragati Maidan may not be the place to hold an event like Auto expo.

"May be, traffic police should refuse no-objection certificate for future events like this," he said.

It was bumber to bumper traffic at India Gate, Ashoka Road, ITO, Lodhi Colony and Connaught Place last evening for hours besides other important locations and drivers were complaining that they could not move an inch for hours.

Police also attributed the traffic chaos to the traffic arrangements made near India Gate to facilitate movement of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Trininad and Tobago counterpart Kamla Persad-Bissessar who were to meet at Hyderabad House.