Centre directs Delhi Traffic Police to enforce parking rules around Patiala House Court & Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: The central government has directed the Delhi Traffic Police to enforce parking rules in the Central Vista area, particularly around the Patiala House Court and the Delhi high court, which remain choked on office days.

Sources said the directions were issued at a recent meeting on traffic management in the Central Vista area where a senior Delhi Police official shared that local cops hesitated to act against on-road parking around the courts being sceptical of the response from lawyers.

They added that a top official chairing the meeting asked police to ensure compliance of traffic rules for smooth vehicle movement around the India Gate circle, including by pursuing car owners to use designated parking areas and not to block carriageways.

The haphazard on-road parking near the Patiala House Court, which is a daily sight, has literally defeated the purpose of the Pragati Maidan tunnel as commuters spend a lot of time to cross the clogged sections of both carriageways of the Purana Quila Road. This severely impacts traffic flow of the entire India Gate roundabout during evening peak hours.

The tunnel was constructed to make travel seamless from the India Gate circle to Ring Road and Mathura Road.

Traffic jams near the Patiala House Court are primarily due to inadequate parking space and on-road parking, which narrow the space for vehicles. Secondly, lawyers driving their own vehicles are usually in a hurry for court hearings and finding a parking space becomes impossible.

“This has been a perennial problem in this locality. There is a need to find the genuine cause of the traffic chaos, and find solutions. The traffic police and lawyers’ representatives need to come together to have a traffic management plan,” said a former Delhi Police official who dealt with traffic management.

In the case of the Delhi HC, though there is a multi-level parking, not many use it.

Sources said the Centre is looking at a plan to manage traffic and parking issues in the Central Vista region where redevelopment of government office complexes is underway. The first three buildings on Kartavya Path are nearing completion.

There is a plan to have metro rail connectivity (7-8 km) from Indraprastha station to North Block connecting Bharat Mandapam, C Hexagon at India Gate, Kartavya Path, Central Secretariat, and the proposed Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum.