It was not a merry start to the New Year in Delhi, which was caught up in winding traffic snarls.
It’s customary for Delhiites to throng the city’s iconic India Gate on holidays and festivals. On Monday, traffic snarls crippled the city, especially Central Delhi and surrounding areas, as over one lakh citizens turned up at India Gate to celebrate the New Year Day.
Crowds started swelling in the afternoon, slowing down traffic, which took a turn for the worse by the evening. By around 5 pm, Delhi traffic police had to tweet an advisory asking motorists and citizens to avoid India Gate.
“Traffic will remain very heavy near India Gate C-Hexagon due to gathering of more than one lakh pedestrian and heavy volume of motorist. No parking available around India Gate. Advised to avoid India Gate and take alternate route,” it tweeted.
Soon #IndiaGate became one of the top trends in Delhi on Twitter setting Twitterdom abuzz. While some Twitter users wondered why had so many people congregated in the heart of Delhi, others expressed concerns about the impact on emergency services vehicles such as ambulances.
As people stranded in traffic jams turned to Delhi Traffic Police’s twitter handle to complain about traffic snarls, it assured citizens that more than 50 traffic officials had been deployed at India Gate.
Several Twitter users questioned why the city authorities had not made arrangements in advance as such crowds are usually anticipated at India Gate on festivals and holidays. However, others on Twitter pointed out that perhaps this year the numbers were unprecedented.
Social media users also reported difficulties in finding cabs in the area. Some said that that prices of cab aggregators had surged more than double.