NEW DELHI: Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu’s ambitious project of making Connaught Place vehicle-free has hit a roadblock. Even after four months of its announcement, the plan is yet to take off owing to stiff resistance from the traders’ community and the Delhi Traffic Police’s inability to prepare a clear implementation roadmap.
Traders’ associations have been protesting against the move, a part of the Smart City project, by stating that it would dent their business.
New Delhi Municipal Council, responsible for the implementation of the plan, claims that the Traffic Police has not come forward with any concrete plan to manage the traffic flow in the area. “Delhi Traffic Police has not given any foolproof traffic management plan in black and white.
Managing traffic in the area is their responsibility. We can’t move forward without a proper traffic plan,” said NDMC spokesperson M S Sherawat.
Lack of a traffic management plan and protests by traders delayed the vehicle-free plan for CP. “They (NDMC) cannot walk over our livelihood and we will oppose it. In extreme temperatures, no one will step out of their cars. We will run in loses,” said Atul Bhargava, president, New Delhi Traders’ Association.
NDMC official, however, stressed that the move would have benefitted the common people. “We want cooperation from every stakeholder. But traders’ associations have only protested against it. They have also approached senior authorities while opposing the plan,” said an NDMC official.
A Delhi traffic police official said traffic management on the Outer Circle may become an issue, once the plan comes into force. “Connaught Place is a bustling commercial centre having huge traffic. Even on a general day, the Outer Circle passage faces traffic congestion. We fear more chaos when Inner Circle gets vehicle-free.” Despite having two multilevel parking lots within walking distance of the markets, people reaching the area don’t bother to park their vehicles there. Rather, they take their vehicles near shops blocking roads.
As the project is already heading nowhere, the NDMC is still taking some initiatives to keep the momentum going. NDMC has procured six battery-operated Mahindra electric cars costing `10 lakh each to encourage people towards the plan. The charging point for these cars will be Shivaji Stadium. In addition to this, NDMC has also planned to introduce a robust cycle ride policy at the metro stations falling in the NDMC areas. Union minister Venkaiah Naidu had announced the decision to make CP vehicle-free on January 5.