NEW DELHI: A meeting was held on Monday between the traders’ association and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) on implementing the plan to make Connaught Place pedestrian-only by the end of this month. The civic body has, for now, decided to the enforce the plan to turn the inner circle of Connaught Place pedestrian-only either on June 29 or 30.
“We held a meeting today and another is scheduled to be held tomorrow following which a final decision will be taken on the date to roll out the pedestrian-only plan at CP on a trial basis. Since traders may hold divergent views in the matter, we’ll hold prior consultations with them before taking a decisive call on implementing the plan.
As of now, we are considering two dates,” an NDMC official told this newspaper.
In a four-part series titled ‘Walk, breathe, shop’, this newspaper had reported that traders at CP are not open to rendering the inner circle off-limits to vehicle owners. Many were quoted as saying that being a heritage structure, the plan might not work at CP.
“We reinforced our stand that we are opposed to the idea put forward by the NDMC. CP draws maximum shoppers on weekends. We suggested that the pedestrian-only plan at the inner circle be introduced on a trial basis on week days. However, our proposal was rejected by the traffic police department. This plan, if implemented in its current form, will have a significant impact on our business,”said a member of the traders’ association.