Commuters can face traffic jams on Tuesday and Friday as road restrictions will be in place in large parts of central Delhi due to two key events, Republic Day celebrations and an ASEAN summit.
Blockades and jams are likely to happen on Tuesday as several arterial roads will be closed and barricaded for the full dress rehearsal of the Republic Day parade that will start at 9.50am and is expected to end by 12pm.
Though Metro services will be available at all stations, boarding and de-boarding at four key stations in central Delhi will not be permitted till 12pm on Tuesday. Boarding and de-boarding at Kendriya Sachivalaya and Udyog Bhawan stations will remain suspended between 5am and 12pm.
Commuters will have to take a longer route to reach their destinations since traffic will not be allowed along the parade rehearsal route on Rajpath, from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar (BSZ) Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg till Red Fort.
According to the Delhi Traffic Police, the stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate on Rajpath will remain closed from 6pm on Monday till the parade rehearsal is over for the day. No cross traffic will be allowed at Fari Marg, Janpath and Man Singh Road from 11pm on Monday till the parade rehearsal is over.
“C-Hexagon India Gate will be closed for traffic from 9am on Tuesday till the parade crosses Tilak Marg. From 10am on Tuesday, traffic on both stretches on Tilak Marg, BSZ Marg, and Netaji Subhash Marg will not be allowed. Cross traffic will only be allowed depending on the parade movement,” Garima Bhatnagar, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said.
They can also take a detour using Madrasa-Lodhi Road T point and Mandir Marg via Aurobindo Marg, AIIMS Chowk, Dhaula Kuan, Vande Mataram Marg, and Shankar Road. Similarly, for the east-west corridor, some of the suggested routes are Mathura Road, Bhairon Road, Dhaula Kuan, ISBT Kashmere Gate, Chandgi Ram Akhara, IP College, Azadpur, among others.
Delhi Traffic Police officials said the road restrictions and criss-cross traffic will be in place because of the heads of 10 countries, who are expected to reach the city on Wednesday and Thursday to attend the main event of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit on Thursday and the Republic Day parade at Rajpath the next day.
Their itinerary includes visits to the summit venue at the Taj Palace Hotel on Sardar Patel Marg and to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the at-home ceremony on the afternoon of January 26. The leaders are likely to stay at five-star hotels on Sardar Patel Marg, Man Singh Road, Zakir Hussain Marg and in Chanakyapuri.
Traffic officials said a fresh advisory will be issued for the Republic Day celebrations scheduled on Friday.