Car-free weekend in CP from June 29

| | NEW DELHI
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Car-free weekend in CP from June 29

Wednesday, 19 June 2019 | Sapna Singh | NEW DELHI

The controversial plan to make Asia’s popular market and New Delhi’s iconic heart and global showpiece Connaught Place a car-free zone is being rolled out soon.

Top sources in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said the plan will be executed in two phases.

Senior officials in NDMC told The Pioneer that both phases will run at weekends. “We are yet to study the implementation plans, hence we are launching this during weekends,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.

NDMC officials have met Delhi Traffic Police top brass for the required traffic management plan to execute it.

The officials also disclosed the date of the pilot project. “The first phase of experiment will start from June 29, 30, the second on July 6, 7,” the officials said.

Connaught Place is favourite destination of Delhiites at weekends as it houses eateries, movie theaters and shops.

For many residents, who believe in spending time with their families and buying authentic stuff from here, the council’s plan to execute this project at weekends only is not good news for them. 

This is the third attempt of the council to make Connaught Place car-free or pedestrian friendly zone, purportedly to help maintain the beauty of the colonial-era structure.

Readers may recall the traders’ protest earlier as this plan would hamper their business as shoppers in this area use their vehicles to visit CP.

Traders in the area claimed that they have not been taken into confidence by the NDMC officials.

“What is the need to make CP area vehicle-free zone, the council is aware the nature of visitors. The CP market hosts banks, jewellers, pubs and eateries,” asked a trader. “Who will ensure the safety of our visitors and this is an attempt to divert our customers,” a trader claimed.   

NDMC officials said the project to make CP car-free zone is inspired from Paris and New York. “We have studied the redevelopment structures of big cities of the world and we have tried to cultivate such facilities here,” said the official. Although it is doubtful if any of town planners are fully cognizant of the planning that went into pedestrian zones of Paris and New York’s Woodstock village.

The project was discussed on January 5 this year in a meeting of NDMC officials.

Then Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu had chaired the meeting. And it was officially announced that to make Connaught Place area pedestrian friendly, cars and buses will not be allowed in the middle and inner circle.

Earlier, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar in his address to the media had ten said the ban is part of a pilot smart city project that will be launched next month. As part of the project, the imposing commercial area built by Edwin Lutyens in 1933 will be barred to traffic from February 1 for the next three months. Officials say they will analyse the data and then take the final call whether to continue with this plan or drop it.

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