Vehicle ban in Cannaught Place begins with protest by traders

New Delhi : Delhi's upscale Connaught Place business hub remained closed in the first half of Tuesday in protest against a new traffic and parking plan for the heritage marketplace.

According to the New Delhi Traders Association, business owners and shopkeepers decided to shut their shops between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The protest comes in the wake of the central government's January 5 decision of making inner and outer circles of the Connaught Place in central Delhi traffic free for three months from February 20.

The decision to make Connaught Place traffic free was taken at a review meeting held by Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, where plans to turn New Delhi Development Council (NDMC) area into a smart city were discussed.