Govt gives in to traders demand, scraps car-free day

Delhi government has decided to scrap this month’s car-free day after resistance from traders of the Capital’s busy Chandni Chowk market. The decision was taken after Public Works Department minister Satyendar Jain met the local traders on Thursday.

After the odd-even road-rationing scheme in April, the government had planned a four-day-long restriction on motorised vehicle. Under the joint initiative of the Shahjahanabad Development Board, the Public Works Department, Traffic Police and the local civic body, the restrictions were to be in place from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid between May 22 and May 25, from 9 am to 9 pm.

A senior transport official told Deccan Herald that the government has decided to skip car-free day in May. In an attempt to reduce air pollution levels, the Delhi government holds car-free day on the 22nd of every month.

Suresh Bindal, president, Delhi Hindustani Mercantile Association, said the Chandni Chowk traders opposed the government’s move because the local wholesale businesses could have taken a hit due to traffic restrictions. According to him, there are 64 small and big wholesale markets in the area.

“Aam Aadmi Party government announced curbs on motorised vehicles without even doing the groundwork. So we moved the High Court against the government’s decision,” Bindal said. He added that the government should first have a plan in place to ease congestion.

“There is even no room for pedestrians to walk freely. The government should first begin by declaring the area as no-hawking and no-parking zone,” Bindal said. Several decongestion plans like one-way traffic movement and ban on rickshaws had been suggested in the past, but none of these could be successfully implemented.

Bindal argued that the traffic restrictions can put elderly people at unease. “Chandni Chowk has many temples, mosques and other places of worship,” he said. According to an estimate, nearly 25,000 motorised vehicles use the stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque daily.