Massive traffic snarls were witnessed in Delhi Wednesday as a number of people headed to India Gate and Connaught Place for New Year celebrations. To clear the roads, traffic was diverted along other routes and entry and exit gates of five Delhi Metro stations were closed to ease rush of passengers. According to police, while there was traffic chaos in Lutyens’ Delhi last New Year as well, they did not anticipate the footfall this year. Special CP (Traffic) Taj Hasan said around 70,000 people arrived at India Gate, leading to a massive traffic snarl. “Necessary traffic diversions were made to control the congestion. Traffic was not completely stalled, but there was slow movement of vehicles. With necessary traffic diversions, congestion was brought under control,” he said. Commuters were stuck in traffic snarls on roads leading to India Gate, Connaught Place and ITO. Around 500 traffic policemen were deployed in New Delhi district to handle the rush. Delhi Traffic Police also updated commuters about the situation via its official Twitter handle. To celebrate New Year, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik had called officers for a get-together at the new Police Headquarters on Jai Singh Road. Several officers were stuck in traffic jams and arrived late. Many had to park their cars elsewhere and walk to the PHQ. Police said traffic was heavy around India Gate and C-Hexagon. “We made arrangements by deploying police personnel but did not expect the huge number in Lutyens’ Delhi,” a senior police officer said. A statement by the DMRC said: “As advised by police authorities, entry and exit at five stations — Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Mandi House, Pragati Maidan, Khan Market — have been closed temporarily from 6.05 pm onwards till further instructions. This is necessitated in view of crowd which is witnessed around these areas.”
