Markets are vulnerable, say Diwali shoppers

NEW DELHI: The news of the Ansal Plaza shootout seemed to confirm the worst fears of Diwali shoppers. Amidst the mad rush that choked the city on Diwali eve, many shoppers were apprehensive about such a mishap in heavily congested market places.
"What else can you expect when you have a chock-a-block market place with no security arrangements whatsoever," said Puneet Mittal, a DLF resident who passed by Ansal Plaza a little after the incident.Mittal, who was travelling back home from Noida, took over half an hour to cross the road. "The bad management at the U-turn near the plaza was one of the reasons for the jam. More chaos ensued as the police was trying to stop people from entering the plaza," he said.
For Vani Mehta, a Lajpat Nagar resident, the news of the shootout was like confirming her worst fears. "To think I was so close to the place at the time of the incident gives me goosebumps. Almost at the same time we were stuck in a traffic jam near South Extension. We had taken out our daughters for candle shopping," she said.
She said there was chaos at the market place. The cars were parked haphazardly and the arterial roads were all blocked. People violated all lane norms. "And all the while, not a single traffic or local policeman could be seen," she said.
At Lajpat Nagar too, tempers flared as people struggled to find a parking and pave their way through the market. "This would be an ideal situation for creating trouble. There was absolute chaos in the market. As it is there is no place to park. People just left their cars wherever they found place and there was not a single authority to check all this. Even the lanes were not spared," said Sunil Kumar, a CR Park resident.
"Anyone could plant anything and get away unnoticed. As compared to the rush the police presence was almost nil," he added.
Many were upset with police pickets at "wrong places". "The markets had limited police presence whereas the bottlenecks near the flyovers seemed to be their favourite spots. This only aggravated traffic situations," said Sandeep Sharma.
At other places too, people struggled in jams. "It took me four hours to reach Khari Baoli from Daryaganj. The traffic just wouldn''t budge," said R C Chawla, a resident of Patparganj in east Delhi. "I started from my house at 1 pm. It was 1.30 pm by the time our bus reached Daryaganj. After that the journey seemed endless," said Chawla. According to him, because of the extended Diwali Bazaar near Subhash Park, the roads were blocked and all buses were diverted to the ring road for the bus terminus. "I chose to walk," he stated.
The situation was no better in east Delhi. Seema Sethi, a Ganesh Nagar resident had to postpone several visits because of delay due to traffic. "I''m suddenly feeling so vulnerable. We had to pick up a few gifts from Vijay Chowk market. The jam at heavy rush at Vikas Marg had spilled over and the narrow approach to the market had us struck in the place for a good hour. It usually takes us only five minutes to cover that distance," she said.