Wary of car ban, CP traders seek Arvind Kejriwal intervention
The decision was taken during a recent meeting of the members of the New Delhi Traders Association.
New Delhi: Connaught Place (CP) traders will soon meet Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to oppose the pilot project to make inner and middle circle a vehicle-free zone.
The decision was taken during a recent meeting of the members of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA).
NDTA president, Atul Bhargav, said that the local traders will seek Mr Kejriwal’s intervention as he is the MLA from the New Delhi constituency,. The Union urban development (UD) ministry has taken up the pilot project in partnership with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Delhi traffic police.
Mr Bhargav claims that business will be adversely affected due to the proposed project. It is to start from February. He said that the members of NDTA will also consider meeting New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi and NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar to raise their concerns.
“CP is a commercial centre, not a tourist destination. The moment the inner circle is made vehicle-free, the outer circle will be choked. We have already seen a demo on Yoga Day,” he told a news agency.
The decision to restrict the middle and the inner circular roads of CP to pedestrians only was taken last week at a meeting chaired by Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and attended by officials from the UD ministry, NDMC, and Delhi traffic police.
Local traders contend that CP has ample space for pedestrians but not for parking of vehicles. They argued that not many would want to park their vehicles at the nearby Shivaji Stadium or Shankar Market to come to CP. NDMC, which is implementing the project, said that it will introduce customised battery-operated vehicles for public transport within the inner circle of CP. However, parking will be allowed in the outer circle and at Palika Bazar.
Experts have claimed that the decision to make middle and inner circular roads of Connaught Place a vehicle-free zone will bring back the “diminished glory” of the famed market and inculcate love and respect for architectural heritage among people, experts say.