NEW DELHI, June 20:
Massive traffic jams were witnessed on Delhi roads on Monday due to restrictions that were in place due to Bharat Bandh and protest by Congress over the Centre’s Agnipath scheme and “vendetta politics” against Rahul Gandhi.
Commuters from Noida and Gurugram were left hassled as they battled traffic snarls while driving into the city whereas inside the capital, Lutyens’ Delhi, which was the epicentre of protests, remained chock-a-block.
While the call for Bharat Bandh by some organisations choked traffic on several arterial roads, no impact was seen in the city’s markets where it was business as usual.
Videos of long queues of vehicles at Delhi’s borders emerged on social media while several commuters also took to Twitter to share their woes.
Due to protests and to prevent any untoward incident, the Delhi police had intensified checking of vehicles at border points, which meant that there was a long wait for people to reach their destinations.
Several roads were also heavily barricaded in Lutyens’ delhi which forced commuters to opt for alternate routes thereby leading to chaos on the roads.
Vineeta Pandey, who drives from Noida Extension to her office at ITO everyday, said, “There was heavy traffic at UP gate and after I entered Delhi, there was a massive jam between Akshardham to Bhairon Mandir.
“The situation was extremely chaotic. On Monday, there is always more movement on roads since it’s the start of the week and today’s protests and the Bharat Bandh call compounded the woes of many like me.”
The Delhi-Gurugram Expressway also witnessed heavy traffic jam due to the Bharat Bandh call over the Centre’s Agnipath scheme.
A massive pile-up was seen on the expressway near the Sirhaul border as the Delhi Police was inspecting every vehicle before it entered the capital, to ensure law and order. The gridlock began around 8:30 am and grew worse during the peak hours.
Inside the capital, calls for rollback of Agnipath defence recruitment scheme gathered steam as various organisations came out to voice their dissent.
Indian Youth Congress workers stopped a train at the Shivaji Bridge railway station near Connaught Place here to push for their demand for the rollback of the scheme. The track was cleared by police and security personnel and train movement resumed after about half an hour, sources said.
The police said 16 people were detained and legal action was being taken against them.
IYC workers also gathered at Connaught Place to protest against the “vendetta politics” against Rahul Gandhi and the scheme, which has triggered widespread protests since its announcement.
At the Jantar Mantar, senior Congress leaders P Chidambaram, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gelot headlined a demonstration over the twin issues.
In view of Bharat Bandh observed in parts of the country, the Delhi Police had tightened security across the national capital and its bordering areas and warned of strict action against those trying to disrupt the law and order situation.
Also, keeping in mind the Congress’ protest against the Enforcement Directorate questioning senior party leader Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering case, adequate security arrangements were put in place and strict vigil was kept as per intelligence input, police said.
Commercial markets in the national capital remained open and usual business activities were held despite the call for Bharat Bandh, said traders’ associations.
There was no impact of Bharat Bandh as all the commercial markets including Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Palika Bazar and Khan Market remained open. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
