NEW DELHI: The national capital witnessed major traffic snarls and shutting down of entry and exit gates of 20 metro stations on Thursday afternoon due to massive demonstrations against the recently amended Citizenship Act. The major metro stations where the exit and entry gates were closed, included Rajiv Chowk, Chandini Chowk, Vishwavidyalaya, Central Secretariat and Mandi House. However, the gates of most of these metro stations were opened by the evening.
Insha Showket, who works with a corporate firm, said she had to leave early from her office in Gurugram, given the situation on the streets. “We usually close after 7 pm, but today we wrapped up by 3 pm. We saw that metro stations were shutting gates and the traffic situation on the Gurugram border was also worsening by the minute. Our office provided us shuttle service till metro stations,” Showket told this newspaper.
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The other metro stations which were shut included Barakhamba Road, Khan Market, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, Lal Qila, Jama Masjid, Pragati Maidan and Janpath in central Delhi; Jamia Millia Islamia, Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh in north-east Delhi; Munirka and Vasant Vihar in south-west Delhi.
Meanwhile, traffic snarls led to the closing of Bhagwan Das Road in central Delhi. Mathura Road to Kalindi Kunj was also locked. Delhi Traffic Police asked commuters from Noida to take the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) Flyway and Akshardam route to commute to the other side. In Noida towards Ashram, the traffic queues were as long as two kilometres. Old Delhi’s Red Fort area and Old Delhi Railway Station also witnessed heavy traffic.
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“My office is in Paharganj. I commute in my car. All routes were diverted... It took me more than an hour to commute 13 kilometres to my house in south Delhi,” said Hafiz Ahmed, an office-goer affected by the traffic snarls.
Police conduct thorough checking
Delhi Police Spokesperson MS Randhawa said that given reports about people from neighbouring states travelling to the capital for the mass movement thorough checking was conducted leading to the snarls.