Coordination between Delhi University and Delhi Traffic Police let to traffic snarls in the North Campus on Monday as hundreds of aspirants thronged the area on the first day of admission.
No restrictions were imposed on vehicular movement on the campus this year as per advisory issued by the university authority a few days ago. While Traffic Police blamed students saying they came in large numbers, the university said measures taken by the Traffic Police were inadequate.
The area from Vishwavidyalaya Metro station to Delhi School of Economics on Chhatra Marg, roads in front of GTB Khalsa College, Daulat Ram College and Hansraj College remained choked with traffic for more than four hours.There has been a practice to impose restriction on the campus during admission time to ease traffic flow. In addition to students and accompanying parents, local residents too were inconvenienced.
A parent from Patparganj area of East Delhi, whose daughter wants to join the science faculty on North Campus, said, “It was impossible to cross roads with vehicles belligerently plying. We have been waiting here for the last two hours stuck in the same place.”
“Where is the Traffic Police sleepingIJ” asked yet another irate parent, Dr Varinder Arora. Delhi University authorities said despite issuing traffic advisory five days prior to admissions, no action was taken by the Traffic Police to avoid vehicular gridlock. Vehicular movement, which was supposed to be restricted by Traffic Police from June 2 till June 16 from 9 am to 2 pm except on Sundays, was allowed to ply causing bottlenecks in front of Daulat Ram College and GTB Khalsa College road.
However, the Traffic Department attributed this to manpower crunch in the department. “Excited students with parents present on North Campus triggered jams in the area, which was cleared in a few hours. We had deployed traffic personnel to decongest the area and the problem was addressed adequately,” clarified Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Shukla.