New Delhi: The national capital came to a virtual halt Thursday morning, with commuters travelling from Gurgaon and Noida towards Delhi stranded for hours, following restrictions in traffic movement and checking of all vehicles by the police at the borders.
The traffic restrictions are in place keeping in view two protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act scheduled for Thursday.
While one of the protests was to be held from the Red Fort to Shaheedi Park in ITO by a group of students, the second one — led by Left parties — was planned from Mandi House to Parliament Street.
A massive congestion was reported at the Delhi-Gurugram border on National Highway-8, due to barricading. Many commuters were asked to return to Gurugram by the police personnel on duty.
Other affected areas include Kalindi Kunj, Meethapur, Jaitpur, Ashram, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka Link Road to Terminal 3, Mathura Road, Okhla, Vikas Marg, Sarita Vihar, Kapashera.
Traffic towards Noida from the Kalindi Kunj was diverted via DND or the Noida Link Road, which led to spiraling jams towards Akshardham and Outer Ring Road.
Police sources said permission for both protests were denied citing law and order issues, especially after the clashes at the Jamia Millia Islamia and in Seelampur areas. The restrictions, they added, were imposed as a “precautionary measure” after protesting groups refused to follow the orders.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police’s Twitter account was flooded with complaints, with many users posting selfies of being stuck in snarls.
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Metros shut
At least 14 metro stations were shut as a large number of protestors came out on the streets despite the imposition of Section 144, which prohibits a gathering of more than four people in an area.
Entry and exit gates of Jamia Milia Islamia, Jasola Vihar, Shaheen Bagh, Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Vishwavidyalaya, Patel Chowk, Lok Kalyan Marg, Udyog Bhawan, ITO, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market, Central Secretariat metro stations were shut.
“We are constantly updating our Twitter page with information. Also, we are making announcements inside the trains. The trains will not stop at some selected stations, however, the interchange facility is available,” said a DMRC official.
Over 5,000 police personnel on ground
More than 2,000 local police personnel and 3,000 traffic policemen have been stationed from across units on law and order and traffic management duty.
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior traffic police officer said the snarls were caused due to barricading and the “checking drives” conducted by local policemen.
“The checking drives are being conducted by local police. They are stopping vehicles for checking, which is slowing down traffic. We did plan a few diversions but have not closed any road apart from Road Number 13A between Mathura Road and Kalindi Kunj,” a senior traffic police officer said.
“We are also advising people coming from Noida to take the DND or Akshardham road to reach Delhi. Though the traffic there is heavy, it is moving. The Okhla underpass has been closed,” the officer added.
Many commuters have also missed their flights, as the road towards Terminal 3 was choc-o-block with vehicles. “We have deployed the entire force on the ground to manage traffic and the situation is expected to get better once the peak hour is over,” the officer further said.
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