New Delhi: A fresh debate on the pedestrianisation of Connaught Place’s Inner Circle has begun after recently-appointed NDMC chairperson Manoj Kumar Dwivedi Thursday took to social media to invite suggestions on restricting vehicular movement in the area and making it more pedestrian-friendly.Dwivedi said every person in NCR would have visited CP at least once, and asked if a move like this should be implemented throughout the day or during specific hours.“Can we make the Inner Circle of CP vehicle-free so that people can walk around freely like on some mall roads or central areas in foreign cities? 2. Should we do it for a full day or do it from 6pm to midnight in summers and 11am to 4pm in winters? 3. Some different timing for weekends? 4. What kind of activities would you prefer in Central Park and Inner Circle during no vehicle slots? Positive suggestions would be appreciated,” he posted on X.While some welcomed the idea, others suggested that reforms should be carried out first. “Time slots are an excellent approach for the preliminary stage. Only suggestion is that the time slot for vehicle entry ban should not be during peak hours (for example 8-11am and 5-8pm), otherwise traffic snarls will stretch even further,” stated one user on ‘X’.Traders in CP opposed the proposal, saying it would impact revenue and worsen congestion. New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) said restricting vehicle access directly in front of showrooms would hurt sales and diminish the accessibility of shops, restaurants and services.“Past trials resulted in sharp drops in footfall and chaotic parking conditions for genuine shoppers, especially children, women, senior citizens and the physically challenged. Also, closing Inner Circle will divert massive vehicular volumes onto Outer Circle and feeder roads, severely aggravating existing bottlenecks rather than eliminating congestion,” said NDTA president Atul Bhargava.Traders said NDTA should be consulted for any proposed changes in Connaught Place.“CP is already designed with 15 feet of covered corridors and 20 feet of walking space, making it inherently pedestrian-friendly without needing a vehicular restriction. Clearing the pedestrian corridors by removing hundreds of illegal hawkers and lifting wrongly parked buses, cabs and autos from roadsides will create enough space for pedestrians,” said Amit Gupta, member, NDTA.Traders also questioned whether there was enough parking space in CP to accommodate the large number of vehicles if entry to Inner Circle was restricted. Some also pointed out that the weather and pollution-free environment in other countries were different from Delhi, where walking on streets is often not feasible.This is not the first time that an attempt has been made or an idea floated to pedestrianise the area. In Jan 2017, former Union minister Venkaiah Naidu shared a plan to ‘pedestrianise’ CP on a pilot basis for three months, starting Feb.In 2019, former NDMC chairperson Naresh Kumar tried implementing a pilot project but faced resistance from traders, who later agreed to a two-day trial run. However, two days before the planned exercise, traders accused the agency of tweaking the plan and withdrew support.In April this year, LG TS Sandhu sought an action plan for pedestrianisation projects in high-footfall areas of CP and Khan Market to ensure essential civic services were provided.
