Delhi Traffic Comes To A Halt As ASEAN Leaders Arrive For Summit

New Delhi: Traffic movement in the national capital stalled this morning as a few roads were shut briefly and vehicles were diverted to ensure a smooth passage to ASEAN leaders arriving in New Delhi for a summit tomorrow.

It was tougher for commuters traveling from Gurgaon and Dwarka towards New Delhi as they were stuck in traffic snarls owing to the VIP movement and the security arrangements put in place by police ahead of the Republic Day.

"I was stuck for almost an hour on Dhaula Kuan and Sardar Patel Marg while coming from Dwarka. The two stretches were choked. There was heavy barricading on Sardar Patel Marg," a commuter said.

Commuters may have to witness delays through the day, the police warned.

A senior Delhi Traffic Police official said the department had requested Google Maps to show alternate routes and diversions that have been put in place by authorities.

The official said movement of vehicles had to be stopped on certain stretches, including Dhaula Kuan, for a few minutes owing to the VIP movement.

The situation will continue until the visiting leaders travel from the airport to their hotels in Lutyens' Delhi.

The 10 ASEAN leaders will be moving towards their hotels from the airport and for meetings through the day and there will likely be intermittent delays.

Stretches like Dhaula Kuna, Sardar Patel Marg, Man Singh Road, Nyaya Marg, Shanti Path, S Subramaniam Bharti Marg, will be affected.

With these stretches being affected, people going towards south Delhi are also likely to experience delays.

Authorities have advised commuters to start their journey 30-40 minutes before their scheduled time during the peak hours, and 15-20 minutes during non-peak hours today.

All the ASEAN leaders will also be the chief guests at the Republic Day parade.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a multilateral body, which includes Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.