Traffic advisory for New Year Eve in Delhi: No entry for vehicles without passes to Connaught Place

The Delhi Police on Wednesday issued a traffic advisory for New Year's Eve which will be applicable to all private and public transport vehicles and will come into effect from Thursday 8 pm in the city.

Special arrangements have been made for the areas in the vicinity of Connaught Place in the national capital.

While alcometers (device to measure alcohol content in a breath sample) are not being used in the city due to the COVID-19 outbreak, action will be taken it anybody is found driving in an inebriated state.

According to the advisory, no vehicle will be allowed to proceed towards Connaught Place from the Mandi house roundabout, Bengali Market roundabout, north foot of Ranjit Singh Flyover (Barakhamba Road-Tolstoy Marg crossing), Minto Road Deen Dayal Upadhaya Marg crossing and Chelmsford Road near Munje Chowk (New Delhi Railway Station).

It said vehicular movement towards CP will not be allowed from R K Ashram Marg-Chitragupta Marg crossing, Gole Market roundabout, Gol Dakkhana roundabout, Patel Chowk, Kasturba Gandhi Road-Feroz Shah Road crossing, Jai Singh Road-Bangla Sahib Lane, Pachkuian Road- Bangla Sahib Lane, Windsor Place roundabout, Buta Singh Marg roundabout and State Entry Road-New Delhi Railway Station.

No vehicular traffic will be allowed in the inner, middle and the outer circle of Connaught Place without valid passes, the advisory added.

It said vehicles can be parked near Gole Dak Khana, Patel Chowk on Rakab Ganj Road behind AIR, Mandi House on Copernicus Marg up to Baroda House, Minto Road on D D Upadhaya Marg and Press Road area, Panchkuian Road on R K Ashram Marg, Chitragupta Road and Basant Road towards Paharganj.

Parking will also be allowed near K G Marg-Feroz Shah Road crossing on Copernicus Lane as well as on K G Marg towards C Hexagon, near Bengali market roundabout on Babar Road and Tansen Marg, Windsor Place and Gol Market on Peshwa Road and on the service road along Bhai Veer Singh Marg and R K Ashram Road, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Manish Kumar Agrawal said in the advisory.

Limited parking space for vehicles with valid passes will be available in Connaught Place on first come-first serve basis. Unauthorised or wrongly parked vehicles shall be towed away and prosecuted, it stated.

Agarwal said alternative routes have been arranged for commuters travelling to New Delhi railway station. However, routes to the Old Delhi railway station will not be affected, he added.

Traffic arrangements have also been made at areas having high footfall like Saket, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony, Hauz Khas, Defence Colony, Vasant Vihar, R K Puram, Nehru Place, Dwarka, Palam airport, Rajouri Garden, Ashok Vihar, Model Town and Mayur Vihar, the advisory stated.

Motorists should use alternative routes for north south movement which include Ring Road from ISBT to Ashram or via Delhi Gate, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Mathura Road to reach Ashram and vice-versa or via ISBT, Rani Jhansi Marg, Punchkuyan Road, Mandir Marg, Park Street, Mother Teresa Crescent Road and beyond or via Rani Jhansi Marg, Punchkuyan Road, Hanuman Murti and Ring Road, it said.

Ring Road, Bhairon Road, Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Marg, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent, roundabout near R M L, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman Road and Shankar Road have been suggested for commuters using east-west directions, the advisory stated.

Strict action shall be taken against drunken driving, stunt-biking, over speeding, reckless driving, zig-zag and dangerous driving, it said.

"We are not using alcometer due to the COVID-19, but if someone found in inebriate condition, then we will medically examine him and the action will be taken accordingly. We also want people to follow the COVID-19 guidelines," Agrawal said.

For Friday, the Delhi Traffic Police has made elaborate arrangements for the area in and around India Gate for regulation of both pedestrian as well as vehicular movement.

In case of heavy pedestrian movement, vehicles may not be allowed to go through the C-Hexagon, India Gate area, after 10 am and diverted, officials said.

Visitors are advised to use public transport as there is an acute shortage of parking space at India Gate, the advisory said.

In view of the large gathering expected at Delhi Zoo, resulting in congestion on Mathura Road, motorists are advised to avoid Bhairon Road and Mathura Road between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Pragati Maidan, it added.