Ongoing construction near the Modi Mill flyover in the national capital had already disrupted traffic on the Outer Ring Road but the Navratri crowds at temples around Kalkaji have now compounded the congestion, mainly between the Nehru Place and Modi Mill flyovers.
Commuters complained of minimal presence of traffic personnel on the affected stretch to manage the frequent snarls, especially during peak hours. Traffic police officers, however, blamed the congestion on the Public Works Department (PWD)’s ongoing construction work and the thousands of devotees visiting the Kalkaji and Bhairav temples nearby for Navratri. “I often use this route to reach my office in Sukhdev Vihar. Roadside parking has increased in the past few days – the reason best known to traffic police officials.
A traffic police officer in the area said they have deployed nearly 20 personnel on roads around Kalkaji, Bhairav and Lotus temples to regulate the flow of traffic, tow away vehicles parked at unauthorised locations, and stop people from unnecessarily halting vehicles.
The creation of a temporary passage on the road for devotees has further led to a reduction of space for vehicular movement, the officers said. People halt their vehicles for picking and dropping occupants while some even stop to buy items from shops selling pooja-related items,” Monga said. When HT visited the stretch on Tuesday afternoon, except for a crane parked near the Kalkaji flyover, not a single traffic police personnel could be spotted in the area.
