By IANS,
New Delhi: Thursday’s tour of the Indian capital by Commonwealth delegates seeking to assess the state of preparedness for the mega event a year away led to traffic jams — and frayed tempers too.
Delegates from 71 Commonwealth countries are here to attend the CGF General Assembly Oct 12 and to get a first hand experience of the Indian preparedness for the 2010 championship.
Traffic was restricted on major roads in central Delhi to allow smooth passage to the delegates who inspected the 10 venues in a convoy of eight cars accompanied by police escorts.
Several key roads became off-limits to motorists at large including Kamal Ataturk Marg, Safdarjung Road, Lodhi Road, Mathura Road, Mother Teresa Crescent, Talkatora Road, Janpath, Prithviraj Road and Aurobindo Marg.
Since the delegates were divided into two groups and moved in separate directions, traffic jams and snarls were reported from virtually all parts of Delhi — that too during the peak morning hours.
“There were hardly any buses on the roads. I usually get a bus in two-three minutes, but today I had to wait for 30 minutes. And that bus was fully packed,” said Farida Rahman, who reached her bank 30 minutes late.
Mona Mukherjee, who works with a publishing house, complained that the stretch from Lodhi Road to Nehru Place was blocked from 11 a.m. “I had to take a detour to reach the India International Centre. It cost me twice the amount.”
Predictably, many were furious. Some people suggested that the government should declare it a holiday during such events.
“I was stuck in traffic for nearly two hours. If this is the condition during a small conference, what will happen when the Commonwealth Games take place? The government should either improve the situation or declare it a holiday for Delhiites,” said marketing professional Anshul Sharma.
College student Gunjan Gupta was stuck on way to Connaught Place. “So many roads were blocked. The alternate roads were packed with re-routed traffic. Finally I turned back.”
The visit of the delegates follows CGF president Mike Fennell’s doubts over India’s ability to host the mega event. Fennell is part of the visiting team and he will preside over the CGF executive board meeting.