Elaborate traffic arrangements, restrictions in Delhi-NCR, other cities on eve of New Year

Elaborate traffic arrangements, as well as restrictions, will be implemented on Tuesday, on New Year's eve, as the country rings in New Year 2020. The Delhi Police has made extensive traffic arrangements for the smooth flow and regulation of traffic throughout the Delhi-NCR region. It will also impose certain restrictions to prevent any untoward incident. In Mumbai too, the Mumbai Police and Traffic Police will be out on the streets to protect revellers from the evening. Other cities have also made traffic arrangements.

In the national capital, several restrictions will be imposed from 8 pm onwards on December 31 in the vicinity of Connaught Place until the conclusion of New Year celebrations. It will be applicable to all private and public transport vehicles. "No vehicle shall be allowed to proceed towards Connaught Place beyond R/A Mandi House (ii) R/A Bengali Market (iii) North foot of Ranjit Singh Flyover (iv) Minto Road - DeenDayalUpadhaya Marg crossing (v) Chelmsford Road near Munje Chowk (New Delhi Rly. Station) (vi) R.K. Ashram Marg-Chitragupta Marg Crossing (vii) R/A Gole Market (viii) R/A G.P.O., New Delhi (viii) Patel Chowk (ix) Kasturba Gandhi Road - Ferozshah Road Crossing (x) Jai Singh Road-Bangla Sahib Lane (xi) R/A Windsor place," said the advisory issued by the Delhi traffic police.

No vehicular traffic shall be allowed in the inner, middle or outer circle of Connaught Place. The advisory also says that limited parking space will be available near Connaught Place on first come first serve basis. Unauthorisedly parked vehicles shall be towed away and prosecuted.

"Traffic arrangements have also been made at the places having high footfall, including Saket, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, New Friends Colony, Hauz Khas, Defence Colony, Vasant Vihar, R.K. Puram, Nehru Place, Dwarka, Palam Airport, Rajouri Garden Area, Ashok Vihar Area, Model Town Area, Mayur Vihar Area and other areas. Necessary traffic diversions as per requirement shall also be done," the advisory read.

Special checkings would be conducted and strict action shall be taken against drunken driving, stunt biking, over speeding, reckless driving, zig-zag and dangerous driving. Delhi Police has also advised motorists to take alternative routes available for North-South directions which are--Ring Road from ISBT to Ashram or via Delhi Gate, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Mathura Road to reach Ashram and via vice-versa or via ISBT, Rani Jhansi Marg, Punchkuyan Road, Mandir Marg, Park Street, Mother Teresa Crescent Road and beyond or Rani Jhansi Marg, Punchkuyan Road, Hanuman Murti, Ring Road. Suggested routes for East-West movement are Ring Road, Bhairon Road, Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent, R/A R.M.L, Park Street, Shankar Road. 

The Delhi Traffic Police has also made elaborate traffic arrangements, at and around India Gate for the regulation of traffic both pedestrian and vehicular. In case of heavy pedestrian movement, vehicles may not be allowed to go through C-Hexagon, India Gate area and diverted from the following place--Q point, R/A MLNP, R/A SUNHERI MASJID, R/A MAR-JANPATH, RAJPATH RAFI MARG, R/A WINDSOR PLACE, R/A RAJINDRA PRASAD ROAD-JANPATH, KG MARG-FEROZESHAH ROAD, R/A MARDI HOUSE, W-POINT, MATHURA ROAD-PURANA QILA ROAD, MATHURA ROAD-SHER SHAH ROAD, SBM-ZAKIR HUSSAIN MARG, SBM-PANDARA ROAD.

The visitors have been advised to use public transport as there will be an acute shortage of parking space at India Gate. In view of large gathering expected at Delhi Zoo resulting in congestion on Mathura Road, the public and motorists have been advised to avoid Bhairon Road/Mathura Road between Hazrat Nizamuddin and Pragati Maidan. 

In a bid to ease overcrowding on New Year's Eve on Tuesday, the exit from Rajiv Chowk Metro station in the national capital will not be allowed after 9 pm, said the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday evening. However, the entry of passengers will be allowed until the departure of the last train. The Rajiv Chowk Metro station serves as an interchange of two metro routes--Yellow Line and Blue Line. The DMRC has also asked commuters to plan the journey accordingly

Gurugram: Meanwhile, Gurugram Police also issued a traffic advisory, saying that motorists should not park their vehicles on the roads. "Parking on the roads will be strictly prohibited and vehicles parked on the roads will be towed away by Gurugram Traffic Police," said DCP Traffic, Himanshu Garg, adding that 4,000 policemen are being deployed at various points in uniform as well as civilian clothes to keep a tab on suspicious-looking persons and potential troublemakers. "Commuters are also advised to park their vehicles at the designated parking lots only," Garg said.

Commuters coming from Signature Tower to Sector-29 market are requested to follow the yellow line, take a left from Lemon Tree hotel and go straight towards the parking area, read the traffic advisory. Commuters coming from MG Road are requested to follow the green line, take a right after Iffco Chowk metro station and go straight towards the parking area, it added.

Mumbai: The financial capital, Mumbai has also tightened arrangements on New Year's eve. Over 43,000 personnel of the Mumbai Police and Traffic Police will be out on the streets to protect revellers, IANS reported quoting a top official. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ops) Pranay Ashok said besides the personnel and armed police, there will be teams of the State Reserve Police Force, Riot Control Force, Rapid Action Force, Home Guards, Traffic Police, Dog Squad and Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad guarding the 17 million Mumbaikars.

Top New Year Eve venues for celebrations include the Gateway of India, beaches at Girgaum, Dadar, Mahim, Bandra Reclamation, Versova, Juhu, Gorai, Madh, Manori, Marve, Powai Lake, malls, cinemas, national monuments and certain religious landmarks shall be under CCTV surveillance for monitoring the crowds with special deployments.

Special eyes will be kept on those indulging in harassing women or suspicious persons with potential for making mischief in crowds, besides catching rash or drunk drivers, Ashok added. The police will also carry out random checks of vehicles at various locations, search boats in the Arabian Sea, impose roadblocks over the entire city and all sensitive locations, comb places like hotels, lodges or garages to avert any untoward incidents.

Stringent traffic regulations shall be enforced from 7 pm on Tuesday till Wednesday 6 am in places like Bandra, Dadar, Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Pedder Road, CSMT and other locations. Parking of all types of vehicles would be restricted/regulated in 18 locations to avoid traffic jams and ensure free traffic movements and personnel in plainclothes will keep watch over public activities around the city.

Similar security arrangements are being by the Maharashtra Police in other major cities like Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, popular New Year Eve destinations like the hill-resorts of Matheran, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Igatpuri, Lonavala, Khandala, sea-side resorts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

Haryana: The Haryana Police have made elaborate security and traffic arrangements in view of the New Year celebrations across the state. Additional Director General of Police Navdeep Singh Virk said the extra force would be deployed for foot patrolling, mobile patrolling and at crowded locations like shopping malls and pubs on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1. He said all the Commissioners of police and district Superintendents of Police have been instructed to ensure added arrangements for crowd and traffic management in their areas.

Bengaluru: In the tech hub city, Bengaluru, about 7,000 security personnel would be vigilant on the streets on Tuesday night, a top police official told IANS. "About 7,000 police personnel will be on extra vigil across the city to ensure peaceful New Year eve celebration and safety of the revellers from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said in a statement here.

Besides heavy police deployment, CCTVs and drones were being installed in the city`s central business district, especially on M.G. Road and Brigade Road to monitor thousands of revellers ushering in the New Year happily and peacefully. "Traffic will be regulated and parking of vehicles, including two-wheelers, will be banned on the main streets in the city centre from 8 p.m. on December 31 to 6 a.m. on January 1 to prevent jams and ensure better vehicular movement," Rao said in a statement here. Vehicles will not be allowed on flyovers across the city from 9 p.m. on Tuesday to 6 a.m on Wednesday to avoid drunken and dangerous driving and prevent mishaps.

Restaurants, eateries, pubs and bars will be allowed to remain open an extra hour till 2 a.m. on Wednesday across the city. Meanwhile, the state-run Bengaluru Metropolitan Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation have decided to extend their bus and metro services up to 2 a.m. on Wednesday. "Metro rail services will be operated for every 15 minutes from 11.30 pm on Tuesday to 2 a.m. on Wednesday for commuters using public transport," the corporations said in a statement here.

with inputs from agencies