Farmers' mahapanchayat today, traffic curbs on in central Delhi

NEW DELHI: Traffic will be severely affected in central Delhi owing to the mahapanchayat of farmers at

Ramlila Maidan

on Thursday. Delhi Traffic Police has restricted traffic in key stretches around ITO, Delhi Gate, Mathura Road and adjoining areas.
Delhi Police granted permission for the gathering after obtaining an undertaking from the farmers that they would not bring tractors and trolleys to the ground. Among the 23 points in the undertaking given to police, the protesting farmers also said they would not carry sticks or weapons or firecrackers with them and would not stay at the venue after the programme was over. They assured that the event would be peacefully conducted and the participants wouldn't be allowed to go out of control.
The mahapanchayat will start at 11am and end by 2.50pm.
M Harsha Vardhan, DCP (Central), said arrangements had been made to prevent any untoward incident. While the farmers have undertaken not to bring more than 5,000 people to the venue, police expect around 60,000 people from across the nation to protest on Thursday.

Movement of traffic would be regulated throughout the day in central and south Delhi on key roads. Between 6am and 4pm, traffic will be regulated on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Barakhamba Road, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Tolstoy Marg, Asaf Ali Road, Jai Singh Road, Swami Vivekanand Marg, Sansad Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Minto Road, Ashok Road, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh flyover, Connaught Circus, Bhavbhuti Marg, DDU Marg and Chaman Lal Marg.

From noon till 11pm, general traffic will be regulated on Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Lodhi Road, Mathura Road, Jor Bagh Road, Dayal Singh/CGO Road, Archbishop Marg, DAVP Road/JLN Road, Maharshi Raman Marg, Max Mueller Marg, Scope Complex Road, Aurobindo Marg, Barapullah Elevated Road, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg /Lodhi Road Crossing, Lodhi Road flyover, JLN Road/ Bhishma Pitamah Marg crossing, Oberoi flyover and some crossings in the area.
Police have requested motorists to avoid or bypass the above-mentioned roads and make maximum use of public transport, especially Delhi Metro. Further, the general public has been advised to allocate sufficient time to travelling while planning Thursday's road journeys. "People who are going to the inter-state bus terminals, railway stations or the airport are advised to carefully plan their travel and ensure they have sufficient time in hand," DCP Vardhan said.