Traffic curbs in Delhi for Republic Day parade rehearsal

Major stretches in New Delhi and Central Delhi areas will be made out of bound for motorists from tomorrow evening in view of a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade, police said on Thursday.

The rehearsal for the parade shall start at 9.50 AM on Saturday from Vijay Chowk. The parade shall take Rajpath, pass through India Gate area, and head towards Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhash Marg to reach Red Fort by 12 noon, after which all restrictions will come to an end.

"In order to facilitate the parade, the Rajpath stretch between Vijay Chowk and India Gate will be closed for general public from 6.30 PM on Friday.

"By 11 PM, small stretches on both sides of intersections with Rafi Marg, Janpath and Man Singh Road will be blocked too for stopping the cross traffic," Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Sharad Agarwal said.

He further said that by 9.15 AM on the following day, the C-Hexagon near India Gate will be blocked for motorists and in the next 45 minutes, restrictions will be put on both carriageways in Tilak Marg, leading to Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg and Red Fort.

However, cross traffic will be allowed in those roads, depending upon the movement of the parade, he said. Also, from 7 AM on Saturday, the New Delhi Area comprising of Rashtrapati Bhawan, South and North Avenues, Pandara Raod, Motilal Nehru Marg, Sher Shah Road, Purana Qila Road, Copernicus Marg, Kasturba Gandhi Marg and Ashoka Road, will be turned into a restricted zone where entry will be restricted for buses, cabs and auto-rickshaws, police said.

"Commuters moving between South and North Delhi shall have to take either the Ring Road stretch connecting Sarai Kale Khan and Kashmere Gate or the route from Sardar Patel Marg to Rani Jhansi Road, passing through Mother Teressa Crescent Road and Mandir Marg," Agarwal said.

For those who commute in the metro, boarding and deboarding will not be allowed at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan metro stations from 5 AM and at Race Course and Patel Chowk metro stations from 8.45 AM on Saturday.

All restrictions will end by 12 noon on Saturday, police added.