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Delhi traders block roads

Staff Reporter

Life comes to a standstill on third day of the bandh

NEW DELHI: Life in many parts of the Capital came to a standstill as agitating traders blocked major roads and arteries on Wednesday. At many places, particularly in East Delhi, lathi-wielding traders took to the streets while the police were conspicuous by their absence.

Be it office-goers, school children or people just passing through the city, the blockades resulted on long hours of wait on the roads. While at many places the number of protestors was very small, with the police personnel not around even they managed to hold the traffic to ransom.

At several places the protestors burnt tyres to prevent the traffic from moving ahead. It took Lalit Anand, a resident of Mayur Vihar, over two hours to reach his Connaught Place office. Likewise, it was a nightmare for two-year-old Tanya, daughter of a resident of Saket in South Delhi, who was stranded in the jam for over two hours while she was being taken to her grandparents' house at Patparganj in East Delhi. "After about an hour, she began weeping inconsolably and all we could do was try and calm her over the mobile phone," said her agitated father.

Robby Sood of Parvana Apartments at Mayur Vihar said it felt like a never-ending jam.

While the angry protestors blocked Vikas Marg for almost four hours, traffic jams were reported from Noida Link Road, Noida Mor, Mother Dairy, Ghazipur traffic signal and Geeta Colony in East Delhi. Also, students returning from schools in the afternoon were caught in these protests. It took them hours to cover distances that would otherwise take only a few minutes.

Due to the road blockades, the police had to enforce restrictions on vehicular movement and divert the traffic via Uttar Pradesh for over an hour.

As a precautionary measure, entry of heavy vehicles was also not allowed. Roads leading to Nathu Colony and Seelampur Chowk in North-East Delhi also remained badly affected till late in the evening due to angry protests by the area traders.

According to the police, the protests led to traffic jams at Raja Garden near Marble Market, West Patel Nagar and Nangloi Chowk in West Delhi; Shakti Nagar Chowk and Kingsway Camp in North Delhi; and Ashok Vihar T-point on Ring Road near Prem Bari Pul in North-West Delhi. Paharganj Chowk in Central Delhi also remained blocked for traffic for a while.

Commuters passing by South Extension, Malviya Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Chirag Dilli flyover and the adjoining roads remained stranded for over an hour due to a car rally taken out by the traders in South Delhi in the afternoon. There was a heavy police deployment along the route of the rally to ensure that the situation did not go out of hand.

The police nevertheless claimed that there was smooth vehicular movement on most of the roads falling under the jurisdiction of South-West and North-West Delhi. "Small protests at various market places also led to brief traffic snarls on some roads," said a police officer.

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