Connaught Place remained closed for first half of Tuesday, after decision to make it vehicle-free.
Delhi's upscale Connaught Place business hub remained closed for the first half of Tuesday against the decision to make the inner and middle circle vehicle-free zones. Business owners and shopkeepers decided to shut their shops between 11 am and 3 pm, said Atul Bhargav, President of the New Delhi Traders Association.
Government carried out the decision of making the middle and inner circular roads of CP in the heart of the national capital vehicle-free from February for three months on a pilot basis, a move aimed at decongesting the area. However, the plan is yet to take off. The civic body is exploring ways for executing it and negotiations with various stakeholders are going on.
This decision was taken at a review meeting held by Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, where plans to turn the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area into a smart city were discussed.
The shop owners defied the ban in unison while the market President contended that the order is "ill-conceived" and will destroy the market completely.
"We outrightly reject the order. There's no pollution in CP, the pollution is in places like Anand Vihar, Pitampura. There won't be any consumer traffic too the moment you ban motor vehicles here," Mr Bhargav told IANS.
"Parking is a necessity. You cannot disallow customers to come here in their cars, who too are dismayed at the proposal. This is not regulation but strangulation," The NDTA President added.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)