NEW DELHI, Dec 24:
Chaos ruled busy roads and Metro stations in the capital today as thousands of commuters were stranded at major intersections due to massive traffic jams as several roads and nine Metro stations were shut down to prevent protesters from reaching India Gate and Raisina Hills.
As roads leading to Rajpath and India Gate were closed from all directions and Metro stations in the area became out of bounds for public, commuters waited for public transport for hours while vehicles got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic snarls at several places across the capital.
Nine Metro stations, including the busiest Rajiv Chowk that usually sees a footfall of 5 lakh passengers a day, in central Delhi were shut down, leaving thousands of commuters stranded and at the mercy of auto rickshaws drivers, who fleeced them.
The measures were taken following yesterday’s pitched battles at Rajpath and India Gate between police personnel and protesters agitating over the rape of a 23-year-old girl in a moving bus here last Sunday night.
ITO Bridge, one of the major connections in the capital, was clogged with vehicles since morning hours and the chaos only aggravated as the day progressed with people having to wait patiently inside their vehicles for hours.
There was traffic chaos at Pragati Maidan, Nizamuddin Bridge, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, Mother Teresa Cresent Road, Mathura Road, Khan Market, Mandi House and Barakhamba Road, besides other major sections.
Pragati Maidan, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Race Course Road and Khan Market Metro stations were closed. Though inter-change was allowed at Rajiv Chowk and Central Secretariat stations, it was not of much help to the people as stations nearby were also closed.
Closing of entry points to Rajpath and India Gate were the main reason for the mayhem on the roads, which were dotted with men in khaki.
Policemen in large numbers could be seen on all major roads.
Radhika, a software professional whose office is located on Parliament Street, summed up the frustration of thousands of commuters.
A regular Metro commuter, she was unaware that all stations near her office were closed today. Radhika was shocked when the train did not stop at three stations one after another and heaved a sigh of relief when it halted at Rajiv Chowk.
“But I was not allowed to exit from the station. I was stuck inside and didn’t have a clue on how to reach my office though it is less than a km from here,” she said.
She was not alone. There were several hundreds of passengers who got stranded at the stations.
With ITO and adjacent roads clogged with vehicles, policemen had a tough job controlling the traffic and guiding drivers not to take the out-of-bounds roads.
With most of the other roads leading to Connaught Place and nearby areas closed, traffic moved at snail’s pace on Bhagwan Dass Road and near Pragati Maidan.
Several auto drivers also spoke about being caught in long traffic jams and refused to take passengers. A few sought to capitalise on the situation by demanding exorbitant fares.
Arun Yadav, a PR executive, paid double the regular fare to reach his office on Barakhamba Road from his house in Mayur Vihar. “Since Metro stations near my office were shut, I thought of taking an auto but I ended up paying double the usual amount. And I got late to office by 90 minutes,” he said.
With buses bypassing several restricted areas and some taking long routes for their destination, a large number of the commuters had to walk long stretches.
“I had to walk all the way from New Delhi Metro station to Rafi Marg as all other nearby stations were closed. It took me almost 45 minutes,” said a worked-up commuter.
Several travellers, who had to catch trains, were also caught in the mayhem.
“I drove a family from New Delhi Railway Station to Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station. It took us one-and-a-half hours and they missed their train to Chennai,” said an auto driver. (PTI)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel