Gurgaon: Traffic snarls expected during Modi, Hollande visit

The Gurgaon-Faridabad Road and MG Road will be shut between 3pm and 5pm on Monday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande are scheduled to be in the city.

On Monday, heavy vehicles will not be allowed on the section of National Highway 8 that falls within the jurisdiction of Gurgaon district, the police said. This measure has been taken as movement of VIP vehicles is expected on the highway.

Modi and Hollande will be in Gurgaon to jointly lay the foundation of Interim Secretariat of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The Secretariat will be established on the National Institute of Solar Energy campus, in Gwal Pahari area of the city on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road.In the run up to the high-profile visit, the Gurgaon police have barricaded MG Road and some sections of Golf Course Road.

Vehicles headed to Faridabad will have to use the Mehrauli route to reach the neighbouring city. Faridabad-bound vehicles will be diverted at Rajiv Chowk to Badshahpur and Sohna Road, from where they can take the Sohna-Ballabhgarh Road to reach Faridabad. Traffic is likely to be thrown out of gear as around 50,000 vehicles use this road every day.

Traffic on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway headed to Faridabad will take a U-turn at Shankar Chowk to get on the Cyber City loop. It will move further down to Nathupur and Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road to enter Mehrauli in Delhi. From here, vehicles can take the Mehruali-Badarpur Road to enter Faridabad.

Vehicles from MDI Chowk, moving towards Faridabad, can also use the same route.

Public relations officer of the Gurgaon police Subash Boken said there would be heavy security and traffic diversions due to the PM’s visit. He has requested commuters to avoid MG Road and Gurgaon-Faridabad Road between 3pm and 5pm on Monday.

Security has been tightened on Gurgaon-Faridabad Road and MG Road, the police said. Thousands of commuters using the Metro may also face problems as all parking lots in the stations will remain shut from 9am on Monday to 2pm on Tuesday, which is the Republic Day.