IPL rush, PM route halt traffic in central Delhi

NEW DELHI: Traffic snarls stalled parts of central Delhi on Monday after thousands of spectators parked their vehicles haphazardly on the roads leading to the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium for the IPL match during peak hours.
The situation got worse after a part of India Gate was closed for security reasons sparked by PM Narendra Modi’s route through Rajpath, which in turn produced a ripple effect on traffic on all adjoining roads.
The situation was such that traffic police shut down Tilak Marg and a part of Mathura Road and forced a diversion through IP Marg—Outer Ring Road route. Vehicles heading towards India Gate had to take a longer route through Bhairon Marg and wait until the VIP route restrictions were lifted.
“While the situation was controlled when the match began as people arrived in separate groups, there was a complete jam around 8pm as spectators streamed out together and roads got over-saturated with traffic,” said a traffic police officer.
This further slowed down traffic on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Mathura Road and Tilak Marg. Sikandra Road, too, reported jams through the day, as well as ITO Bridge on Vikas Marg.
The area turned into a gridlock after 7.30pm when the IPL match was about to end. While police had posted advisory asking commuters to avoid Indraprastha Marg and Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, drivers seemed oblivious to them.
A part of the traffic coming from Rajghat was diverted through Guru Nanak Chowk and Ranjeet Singh flyover instead of ITO to reach Connaught Place and further.
East Delhi commuters were advised to use Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Rajghat to reach Ring Road. The same route could be taken to reach Mathura Road as well.