Traffic woes continue in Delhi, relief expected Thursday

Heavy traffic jams were once again witnessed in the capital Wednesday as Delhi Police barricaded roads and streets leading to Parliament House for the second consecutive day to curb protests. However, with both houses of parliament being adjourned sine die, relief is expected from Thursday.

According to a senior police officer, with parliament being in session, the step had to be taken to thwart protests in the sensitive area. For the last few days, several Sikh groups had tried to march towards Parliament House to protest against the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar by a Delhi court in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

As Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde expressed his displeasure over the police's inability to contain the protests, seeking a report on the incident, the Dellhi Police, taking no chances had shut down the roads near Parliament House.

Serpentine queue of vehicles and livid commuters, stuck for hours, could be seen during peak hours Tuesday morning and evening. The scenes were similar on Wednesday morning.

"I was stuck for over two hours in the jams yesterday (Tuesday) and it is the same story today despite leaving early from home," said a furious Chandan Thakur, an IT professional who was stuck in a jam near Dhaula Kuan for over an hour.

"Why should we pay the price if the police is inept in dealing with a few hundred protesters," he asked.

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned sine die Wednesday after the opposition created a ruckus over various issues.