Nagar kirtan disrupts traffic on major roads

Vehicles moved at snail’s pace on central Delhi’s arterial roads during peak hours on Thursday evening, thanks to the ‘nagar kirtan’, organised to commemorate the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The day-long procession passed through crowded stretches, including Parade Road, Gurdwara Sisganj Sahib, Chandni Chowk, Nai Sarak, Chawri Bazar, Hauz Qazi, Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Chuna Mandi, main Paharganj, Basant Road, Punchkuian Road, Bangla Sahib Road, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, GPO roundabout and Pt Pant Marg. Traffic on many roads was virtually brought to a standstill for 30 minutes to an hour during the evening.

“It took me more than an hour to reach Gopaldas Bhawan from ITO by car. I got stuck for over half-an-hour at Mandi House roundabout due to a massive traffic snarl,” said Jatin Manna, a resident of Noida.

According to the Traffic Police, the situation was out of gear, but cases of dislocation were minimum. “We have deployed additional force to manage traffic during the evening,” said a senior official of the Delhi Traffic Police.