Traffic movement in the Central and New Delhi areas was affected during the evening peak hours to VIP movement around the North Avenue. The Talkatora Stadium in the area saw a large gathering of lawyers that was addressed by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday evening that slowed down vehicular movement. The Delhi Police had also deployed heavy security apparatus and traffic diversions were put in place surrounding the venue.
Traffic diversions at Shankar Road, Mandir Marg, Park Street, Talkatora Road, Sardar Patel Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg led to heavy traffic at Connaught Place and India Gate hexagon. Its cascading effect was felt on Tilak Marg, Vikas Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Mathura Road, Bhagwandas Road and Ferozshah Road. Bottlenecks were witnessed in all the areas making it difficult for office goers and commuters to reach their locations on time. ITO’s ‘A’ point, one of the busiest intersections in the city, was affected as the holding capacity of the road has shrunk considerably owing to Metro construction. The traffic slowdown that began around 4 pm normalised at 8.30 pm when the event was over.
Traffic congestion was also witnessed in the Connaught Place Outer Circle, particularly Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Traffic moved at a snail’s pace on Ashoka Road, Patel Chowk, Parliament Street and other arterial roads.