New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS) The ripple effect of closure of key roads and nine metro stations continued to cause traffic snarls across Delhi till late Monday evening as fog and repair work on Kalindi Kunj flyover added to woes of the commuters.
Though the traffic police opened the roads near India Gate at 9.30 p.m. the traffic continued to be heavy on many roads, specially in south Delhi.
Many commuters were also stuck in the heavy traffic jam at Mathura Raod heading towards Ashram, which also affected vehicular flow at Aurobindo Marg, M.B. Road and BRT corridor in south Delhi.
According to traffic police, the reason for the snarls here was construction work at Kalindi Kunj flyover heading towards Noida.
In the heart of the capital, the 2.5 km stretch between India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan was barricaded for traffic in the morning. The India Gate lawns were also sealed off to prevent a repeat of Sunday’s clashes between security forces and demonstrators.
The closure of nine major Metro stations caused immense confusion and thousands of central government employees had to walk long distances as Metro stations close to their offices near Sunday’s protest site remained shut for a second straight day.
The metro stations which were shut were Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhavan, Race Course Road, Khan Market, Rajiv Chowk, Barakhamba Road, Mandi House and Pragati Maidan.
The closure of roads led to diversion of traffic, causing massive snarls on major roads leading to the city centre and beyond.
Irate commuters had complained of the absence of any public transport in the area.
Many people complained they were not aware of metro stations’ closure.
Buses were packed to the brim, and auto-rickshaws reportedly demanded exorbitant fares, adding to the woes.
