Festival throws traffic out of gear

NEW DELHI: There's a nip in the air and the city is warming up for festivities. But as Delhiites embark on endless trips to malls and shopping complexes in the countdown to Diwali, along come the party-poopers: a severe parking space crunch and frequent traffic snarls. No wonder visiting markets has become a nightmarish experience. Especially now, as it happens to be the last weekend before D-day and shoppers are racing against time to make purchases.Anil Batla, a home accessories store-owner in Lajpat Nagar, said: "The chaos usually starts a week before Diwali and picks up towards the weekends. Evenings are the usual rush hours because shoppers prefer to visit markets after finishing the day's work." This time, the Lajpat Nagar Market Association has deployed its own personnel along with traffic cops to streamline the movement of vehicles and organise parking lots, added Batla. Sanjay Bhargava of Chandni Chowk said: "The Walled City also witnesses a mad rush during Diwali. The lack of pedestrian and parking space aggravates the traffic chaos. This year, we are not expecting anything better. All the narrow roads and lanes of Chandni Chowk remain heavily congested throughout the day, especially now that Diwali is around." According to traffic police officials, while the worst-affected are the roads around major markets like Connaught Place, Kamla Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar, GK M-Block and Green Park, the ripple effect would be felt all over the city. Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Qamar Ahmed admitted: "The rush has increased due to the festival. As a result, the volume of traffic has gone up on Ring Road and the corridors connecting arterial roads to central Delhi such as Vikas Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Pusa Road and Africa Avenue." He said that special arrangements had been made to check the chaos. Traffic policemen, in coordination with mobile police patrol teams, are on duty in all major markets. "Cranes have been pressed into service at market places to avoid parking problems," he added. "Also, if people encounter traffic-related problems, they can call at our control room number (23378888) round-the-clock," said Ahmed.