Delhi Traffic Torture - Olympic Torch Relay

[woof]

Thanks to the stringent security measures taken by Delhi Police for the Olympic torch relay, it took me about 4 hours to reach back home yesterday evening (normally it takes just about an hour).

My office is in Gurgaon, and home in northern part of Delhi which is about 30-32 kms away. Left office at 6.15pm, took the Gurgaon expressway. And, noticed huge jam starting from Radisson flyover itself. Was the worst jam I've ever faced. Monsterours infact!!

The jam extended till Delhi Cantt. Saw several people, who had to catch flights from the Delhi airport, carrying their luggages/handbags and walking. Even saw a minister along with his bodygaurds walking on the footpath going towards the airport.

There was this gentleman in the car next to mine, who had to catch a flight to Mumbai, and had planned to leave his car at the airport parking - but poor guy missed his flight for no fault of his own.

It's perfectly ok to have a torch relay in the city. But, why comman man has to pay the price? Why?

[gd1418]

Totally agree with you Woof, and thank my stars and have done so earlier several time too for not being able to afford an office in CP way back in 1995. So had to settle having office in South Delhi.

The various dress rehearsels, main parade and many such events that throw you daily routine out of gear hardly affect me. But the Govt must to see that the common man is not inconvinienced. Not a single sportsperson associated themselves with this Torch relay, barring P T Usha, Paes & Anju Bobby George, that was held for the biggest & greatest sports show on the earth.

If the IOA really had to have a closely guarded affair, then they could have held the Torch relay in one of the several stadiums in the city, thus sparing the common man the misery he had to undergo..

[phamilyman]

I mean I frankly don't care about either people.

Either the IOA who wish to waste crores on this grand demonstration of olympic spirit (while so many athletes struggle to eke out a decent living). And eleven thousand policemen watching by helplessly as a few hundred protesters ground Delhi to a halt.

The tibetan movement doesn't gain any sympathisers if they don't care of the average delhiite's misery at all. For all alot of us stranded for over 1.5 hours at the airport could care, they might as well march on tibet. Bringing delhi to a halt does not help anyone.

I normally do not support use of force, but posses of policemen watching as delhi is held to ransom - shame. We don't need the olympic torch. it makes no difference to my life. I just need my roads free.

@gd saab: Pakistan did as you said - they are WAY smarter!

Why didn't IOA cancel the relay if they just wanted to stand by and see Delhi ground to a standstill.

[tsk1979]

Nobody was allowed at the relay. If they did not have the relay, and just said they had the relay, it would have served the same purpose.
In future they should hold the relay from aircraft to aircraft.
This kind of resource wasting is a mockery of the common man.

[shebin]

Originally Posted by woof

. Was the worst jam I've ever faced. Monsterours infact!!

The jam extended till Delhi Cantt. Saw several people, who had to catch flights from the Delhi airport, carrying their luggages/handbags and walking. Even saw a minister along with his bodygaurds walking on the footpath going towards the airport.

There was this gentleman in the car next to mine, who had to catch a flight to Mumbai, and had planned to leave his car at the airport parking - but poor guy missed his flight for no fault of his own.

It's perfectly ok to have a torch relay in the city. But, why comman man has to pay the price? Why?

In all the big cities these kind of dramas happen nowadays.People with no work will come and assemble and stop others from working too.Its not that these kind of things (relays,marches etc)shouldnt be done.Common man who is working hard for his daily bread should not be affected.Missing a flight due to these reasons are really horrible.The poor guy might have incurred some major losses due to this bafoonary.

[dadu]

, what was the whole point of it, I saw in the TV news, no person was around but still they were waving like fools to whom ??? birds in the air..

They might as well had taken the torch around the special plane that carried it and back into it.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nobody was allowed at the relay. If they did not have the relay, and just said they had the relay, it would have served the same purpose.
In future they should hold the relay from aircraft to aircraft.
This kind of resource wasting is a mockery of the common man.

[Nitin]

Trust people to come up with such crazy ideas. The effect of these road blocks & other traffic situations will be felt for a while after its all over. And the best part being,not one person ever estimates the amount of inconvenience it could cause the general public,by having such things in vital areas of the city.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

...In future they should hold the relay from aircraft to aircraft....

Originally Posted by dadu

...They might as well had taken the torch around the special plane that carried it and back into it.

seriously; a wonderful suggestion! No security issue, no threat, no nothing!

Originally Posted by Nitin

... And the best part being,not one person ever estimates the amount of inconvenience it could cause the general public...

If they had, then our country would be a very different place!

[phamilyman]

Yeah, I mean, all that money could've been spent in a couple of new schools, scholarships for sportspeople, vaccination, ANYTHING.

We are a resource hungry country for chrissakes - why must we do this pretense of the olympic spirit just because some politician/bureaucrat has gotten a budget allocated and wants to make bandobast for it.

And then kolkata police demand 30L for six matches of four hours each. Delhi police should've raised a bill of few crores.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nobody was allowed at the relay. If they did not have the relay, and just said they had the relay, it would have served the same purpose.
In future they should hold the relay from aircraft to aircraft.
This kind of resource wasting is a mockery of the common man.

Perhaps they should have had the relay secretively in the night, as the Indian Communists and their Chinese paymasters prefer.

On a personal front, I left early at 515 PM from Gurgaon. On the way, at 530PM, Dhaula Kuan closed. Reached Lajpat Nagar on Ring Road in 40 mins. From there to Ashram clearance, 2.5 kms took around 30 mins. Overall delay by 35 mins.

The reverse side was vey bad even at 545 PM. On the opposite side (traffic in the direction of Dhaula Kuan), I saw crawls from Moti Bagh crossing upto Ashram.

[gd1418]

On Page 6 of TOI, Delhi of 20th April, there was a news item of a Scientist having had a heart attack at the airport and subsequently dying, because the Ambulance that was taking him to the Hospital was stuck in jam.

Who will own up the responsibility of the bereaved family? The Delhi Traffic Police, The Indian Olympic Association, The Beijing Olympic organisers or the The Torch itself?

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by gd1418

On Page 6 of TOI, Delhi of 20th April, there was a news item of a Scientist having had a heart attack at the airport and subsequently dying, because the Ambulance that was taking him to the Hospital was stuck in jam.

Who will own up the responsibility of the bereaved family? The Delhi Traffic Police, The Indian Olympic Association, The Beijing Olympic organisers or the The Torch itself?

All of the above, in addition to the Government of India, are organisations with
power and privilege, without responsibility and accountability.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by gd1418

On Page 6 of TOI, Delhi of 20th April, there was a news item of a Scientist having had a heart attack at the airport and subsequently dying, because the Ambulance that was taking him to the Hospital was stuck in jam.

Who will own up the responsibility of the bereaved family? The Delhi Traffic Police, The Indian Olympic Association, The Beijing Olympic organisers or the The Torch itself?

The responsibility is on the Torch.
As a punishment, it will be burnt

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by gd1418

On Page 6 of TOI, Delhi of 20th April, there was a news item of a Scientist having had a heart attack at the airport and subsequently dying, because the Ambulance that was taking him to the Hospital was stuck in jam.

Who will own up the responsibility of the bereaved family? The Delhi Traffic Police, The Indian Olympic Association, The Beijing Olympic organisers or the The Torch itself?

All this for a heavily sponsored event which needs no publicity!

[Sks_Biker]

Very badly managed there I guess. Because of all the tension there must have been lot of security.

I just saw the torch relay here at my place. Was as smooth as it can be.