The Hindu : New Delhi News : Traffic jams at Pragati Maidan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 18, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Traffic jams at Pragati Maidan

By Our Staff Reporter

India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan attracted thousands of visitors, even as the nearby roads witnessed traffic jams for long, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: R. V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI, NOV. 17. Despite crores of rupees being sunk into making traffic arrangements for the India International Trade Fair and the Delhi police deploying a large number of personnel and volunteers around Pragati Maidan, traffic jams have become routine around the venue.

While on Tuesday evening the jam extended from the Sikandra Road-Tilak Marg intersection to the Mandi House roundabout, Wednesday afternoon saw a nearly two-kilometre-long pile-up on Ring Road from the Bhairon Marg intersection to National Highway-24 T-point.

The jams have as much to do with improper management as with inadequacy of infrastructure. Today's jam was due primarily to the fact that several traffic police personnel stood mute witnesses as heavy vehicles headed straight towards ITO on Ring Road blocked the slip road leading to Bhairon Marg. Around Pragati Maidan the civic agencies responsible for placing the barriers have also left several loopholes which need to be plugged. While the barricades near Purana Qila Road have been fitted with iron meshing to prevent pedestrians from passing through them, the same is missing on Bhairon Marg. As a result pedestrians are often seen running right across the road instead of using the subway.

Similarly, the police personnel are too soft on the violators of rules. They are not acting strictly against pedestrians jumping over the barricades or buses spending too much of time at stops around the exhibition venue. This leniency has been hampering smooth vehicular movement. The civic agencies responsible for making the slip roads at the Bhairon Marg-Mathura Road intersection have also done a shoddy job. The edges have not been metalled and the presence of stones and mud dissuades the vehicles from the sides as a result of which the benefits of the road-widening work have only been partial.

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