Learn traffic mgmt from religious organisations: Top cop

With Delhi grappling with traffic chaos during wedding season every year, the city police chief has now asked various banquet halls and farm houses here to implement the practices employed by Radha Saomi sect to manage public gatherings.
Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi has shot off a letter to the owners and managers of these marriage venues asking them to monitor and learn how the Radha Soami deras (ashrams) manage traffic whenever they host a religious function that is attended by thousands of people.
"Radha Soami sect organises massive public congregations here every year. They deploy their volunteers who not only manage crowd but also ensure that the vehicles are parked properly and everything goes of without any glitch and discomfort to public. Similar approach is also applied by Dera Sachcha Sauda volunteers as well," said a senior police official.

In his letter, the police chief has also invited suggestions from owners of farm houses and other preferred marriage destinations in the city on what more could be done on part of the police to manage traffic better in the wedding season.
Most of these farm houses are located in south and west Delhi's Fatehpur Beri, Chhattarpur and Mehrauli and Najafgarh area which host thousands of marriages every year. There are around hundreds of such commercialised venues in the city which cost around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh for a function, depending on the location, decoration, food and beverages and the time of the year.

At any marriage function, at least 500 to 1,000 cars are parked in and around the venue and this usually results in traffic gridlocks in the area.