Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS) Delhi Police Saturday said that they would ensure smooth movement of traffic around Pragati Maidan, the venue of the on-going 11th Auto Expo, a day after massive jams wreaked havoc on roads leading to the exhibition ground.

One of the organisers said they were ready to shift the venue in the future as suggested by police earlier.

“After what we had to go through yesterday (Friday) we tightened up arrangements and tolerated no violations of people unnecessarily stopping and crowding Mathura Road and Bhairon Marg,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg posted on the force’s Facebook page, which has more than 90,000 followers.

“… and today (Saturday) traffic flow is absolutely ok. We will continue with smooth arrangements and strictness for the rest of the expo,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Garg had said on the page: “Maybe Pragati Maidan is not the place to hold an event like the Auto Expo. Maybe, the traffic police should refuse NOC (no objection certificate) for future events like this.”

The chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) steering committee for the 11th Auto Expo, Rajive Kaul told IANS: “The Delhi Police are responsible for traffic management in the capital and we respect their decision.”

“If they tell us to move out of Pragati Maidan, we will. We have other options as well, so it’s not an issue,” he added.

The mega car show is being co-hosted by the CII, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA).

The Auto Expo coupled with some VIP movements at India Gate Friday evening led to chaos for hours as traffic spilled over to nearby roads in central Delhi.