Former president's funeral procession chokes city

NEW DELHI: The funeral procession of former President R Venkataraman led to massive traffic jams in Central Delhi on Wednesday, from late afternoon to evening. People returning home from work were caught unawares. They got stuck in traffic snarls running into hours on arterial roads. The worst-hit were the India Gate roundabout and all the radials leading to it, Mathura Road and parts of Ring Road near IP flyover.
On some roads, the situation was so bad that traffic came to a standstill."Traffic was just not moving near Pragati Maidan and I was stuck at the same spot for over an hour. People had switched off their car engines and were seen strolling on the road,'' said Malati Sinha, a lawyer headed for Supreme Court from CR Park.
At India Gate, vehicles were not allowed when the funeral procession and the VIPs following it were passing by. As the main roundabout was blocked, traffic was diverted to all the radial roads leading out of India Gate. This led to a huge pile-up that lasted till much after the diversions had been called off. "I was headed for Nizamuddin from Chanakyapuri and got stuck at several places. First, Ashoka Road was blocked; I reached India Gate and got stuck in a jam. When that cleared, Purana Qila Road was choked and so was Mathura Road. This must be the worst jam I have seen in many years,'' said Bhupesh Singh, a hotelier.
Even the otherwise traffic-free roads like Amrita Shergil Marg, Janpath and Aurangzeb Road were choked. The problem started soon after 2.30 pm when the procession carrying the former President's body left his home at 3, Safdarjung Road. It moved at a speed of not more than 10 kmph, went through Akbar Road, India Gate, Tilak Marg, Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg and Ring Road, from where it entered the slip road after Rajghat to reach Ekta Sthal.
As per protocol, the traffic police closed one carriageway of the roads to all traffic when the procession was to pass. It reached the venue only at 3.55 pm, by which time the build-up of vehicles had already started. The President and other VIPs, including former Presidents and PMs, cabinet ministers, senior politicians, and chiefs of armed forces, followed soon after. And since the cops had reportedly been instructed to "give priority to all VIP vehicles headed for the venue'', traffic in the affected area was stopped several times. This was reportedly done because the ceremonial function was time-bound.
According to sources, what added to the mess was a last-minute change in the programme. Earlier, the funeral procession was reportedly scheduled to reach by 3.40 pm and the President was to arrive after that. But this was reversed at the last minute. "It was almost like making arrangements for two processions, which led to complete chaos,'' sources said.
The funeral procession of senior Congress leader Ram Babu Sharma, which was taken to Nigambodh Ghat from his home in Bharti Artists' Colony near Preet Vihar, added to the congestion.
Though the procession and movement of VIPs had come to an end by 6 pm, the traffic situation lasted till well beyond the evening rush hour in which scores of commuters were caught in jams.