From being a shoppers’ paradise to being the hub of some of the hippiest cafes and restaurants in the city, Connaught Place is a favourite hangout spot of many. Delhiites love to meet at CP not only because it lies in the heart of the national capital but also because it leaves them spoilt for choices. However, starting February, the inner and middle circles of CP are going to be pedestrian-only for three months. The Urban Development Ministry under M. Venkaiah Naidu along with New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Delhi Police recently took this decision in order to test issues related to changes in traffic circulation, experience of pedestrians and shop owners, management of parking lots and traffic load in outer circle.
The move — according to parking attendants and owners of the oldest shops in CP — will not only massively affect business, it might lead to unemployment as well.
The DIMTS (in partnership with NDMC) handles around 100 parking sites in the city, including CP, Barakhamba Road, Shivaji Stadium and Palika Bazar. The proposed move is giving its employees, sleepless nights as they fear they might lose their jobs.
“We haven’t been given any formal notification from NDMC as of yet. I’m a single mother and have been working as a cashier in the DIMTS for two years now and have been able to send my kids to school. But I don’t know what I will do in case this move is actually implemented and I end up losing my job,” says 42-year-old Ritu Gandhi.
Some parking attendants say that the move will cause traffic congestion in outer circle. “Instead of closing entry in the inner and middle circles, they should have blocked the main entry for vehicles,” suggests 28-year-old Gulzar Khan, supervisor of parking in H block of CP. But he agrees that there is the traffic congestion in the area, stating that around 3,700 cars are parked in the inner circle of CP daily, and on weekends, the situation is even worse. He adds that around 150 people are employed to handle parking in the inner circle area and a total of 500 people are employed in entire CP. “We all will face a lot of problems if this move is implemented,” says Khan.
As far as the traders are concerned, they feel that the move is going to hit their business tremendously. It will cause inconvenience of bringing in their products in bulk to the shop and they are likely to lose out on many customers.
For Ashok Jain, owner of 85-year-old bookshop Jain Book Agency, the move will affect their business coming from customers from other countries. “A foreigner staying at Le Meridian hotel would not want to take a metro to come to CP. So those customers will look for more convenient alternatives in the nearby areas. Also, how will we transport our bulk orders that come from the offices in CP?” questions Jain.
Similar discontentment is exuded by Charanjit Singh, manager, Wengers. The bakery has customers coming from all parts of the city and their supply comes in huge cranes, informs Singh. He says, “We might have to employ extra staff to take care of our orders. We will have to bear the extra cost burden because of this. More men will be needed for getting small orders delivered. It is going to be chaotic.”
