It’s just past midnight. Abhishek and Sonu are navigating the streets of Green Park on their bikes. “We can’t find a way out!” The delivery agents shouted, checking GPS maps on their phones, their faces a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. Abhishek claims that they went to four points but to no avail.
“Google Maps showed a clear route. But the road was closed when we reached here. We are stuck inside for about 20 minutes,” says Jodi, looking at the closed RWA gate at the end of Block C of Green Park Extension. There was no security guard.
A green fence at gate number 12 separates the section from Chaudhary Hukum Chand Marg. “CLO-SED 11 PM TO 5 AM… 24 HRS. Exit Aurobindo Marg Near This Bank,” it says in white. The other end of the stretch is similarly blocked – and unmanned – with a few inches of metal blocking commuter access to the road in Hauz Khas village.
“My delivery time is over, I have to compensate for the delay,” Sonu nodded.
While most of Delhi sleeps, a network of barricades quietly emerges in the city’s affluent neighborhoods. Aimed at combating theft and car thefts, these gates and barricades, installed by the Delhi Police with the help of Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs), have now become a nuisance for commuters and residents alike.
Many of these barricades are unmanned, forcing Delhiites to navigate one road after another to reach their destination. Those driven by police personnel or security guards are just as bad – the personnel at the barricades show you the other way. The case also reached the Delhi High Court in February 2022, which took suo moto note of the presence of unmanned barricades on roads. It asked the Delhi Police to record the protocol they would follow while setting up the barricades.
Chaudhary Hukum Chand Marg, Delhi
In January 2023, the Delhi Police referred to the court a standing order issued on March 31, 2022, which stated that “barricades maintained by Delhi Police or RWAs shall be manned at all times and shall not remain unmanned under any circumstances”.
The police also submitted a status report on January 6, 2023, stating that 773 places were barricaded by the force, of which 714 were by their own personnel and 59 were barricaded by personnel from the colonies. Related RWAs.
The Indian Express contacted Special CP Ravindra Singh Yadav (Law and Order Zone 1); Special CP Madhup Tiwari (Law and Order Zone 2); Special CP Ajay Chaudhary (Traffic Zone 2); Joint CP (Southern Range) Sanjay Jain; DCP Ankit Chauhan (South); DCP Ravi Kumar Singh (Southeast); and DCP Surendra Chaudhary (Southwest) for response but no response was received.
The Indian Express spent three nights visiting 20 locations – only five had security personnel standing guard and not letting anyone in.
Green Park, Safdarjung
South West Delhi District Police
Yellow barricades and green gates surround the streets in both these neighborhoods from 11pm to 5am. Barricades were unmanned along major routes such as Naoroji Nagar Marg, Chaudhary Jhandu Singh Road and Chaudhary Hukum Chand Marg, and direct access to Africa Avenue and Sri Aurobindo Marg was cut off.
Block C, Greenpark, Delhi
“To cross it, you have to take a 5km detour on an open road near Rajinder Da Dhaba,” says an auto driver from Green Park, pointing to an unmanned barricade on Chaudhary Hukum Chand Marg near Gurdwara Sikh Sangat. The tour goes around Safdarjung Hospital. “It’s wasting people’s time, money and fuel,” he adds.
Arvind, an MNC professional who recently moved to the Safdarjung enclave, recalls his frustration after a late work shift: “I drove for almost an hour and was greeted by a maze of unmanned barricades one after another. Google Maps was of no help. I had to stop and ask people for directions.
Lajpat Nagar
Southeast Delhi District Police
The situation in this ward is no different. Unmanned barricades erected by police and RWAs cut off wide roads like Veer Savarkar Marg from Lala Lajpat Rai Marg. A motorcyclist, trying to slip through narrow gaps between unmanned barriers near a natural ice cream outlet, gives up after a few frustrating attempts.
Not far from there, in front of the C Block gate of Lajpat Nagar I, the delivery man, Prakash, struggles with unexpected obstacles under the Defense Colony flyover. “Customers are calling again and again. It’s really frustrating,” he says.
Another delivery man overhears him and says, “Follow me out.” As he leaves, Prakash mutters, “Puri Delhi he band kar dete hain raat mein (Delhi closes at night).” Upscale areas like Maharani Bagh and New Friends Colony are no exception, where most of the RWA gates remain closed at night without guards.
Chittaranjan Park, Greater Kailash
South Delhi dDistrict Police
In these elevated locations, though security personnel are often stationed at barricades, it is just as chaotic. For many locals, they have become a nightly inconvenience, resulting in longer detours, increased travel times, and, in many cases, unnecessary stress.
A young woman living in CR Park says, “Every night it’s the same story. She says she only has to detour 3km to cross the road, which is usually a one-minute drive a day, on her way back from work.
CR Park, Delhi
“At night, the arterial roads on both sides of CR Park Main Road are closed, with no security personnel except one… I have to take a roundabout route through Nehru Enclave,” she explained.
His friend argues, “An ambulance can get stuck at a barricade. Imagine if a woman is in labor or there’s some medical emergency, those few minutes can mean the difference between life and death. And there’s no clear indication of which roads are blocked.” No… it’s chaotic.”
Taxi driver Prakash agrees with the woman. Half of the GK and CR parks are blocked by barricades after 11 pm. Some passengers walk to the car, others simply cancel the ride. ” New drivers, he adds, or those unfamiliar with the area “can waste hours trying to find their way at night”.
Dilip, a security guard in the area, however, disagrees. “Thieves strike late at night and remove batteries, tires or even break into parked vehicles,” he argues that barricades are necessary to prevent crime.
A policeman at a barricade in GK II echoes this sentiment, saying, “Most residents are familiar with the closures and can navigate around them”.
In Block D of CR Park, some men are waiting for their friend in a car near the police station. The way in is blocked. There is no police. Soon, their friend, Ramesh, joins them, squeezing through a gap next to the yellow barricades.
“The problem is not the barricades themselves, but how they are managed,” says the resident. “If they were willing to open up to the people who live here, things would be easier. But a lot of times, there’s no one at these barricades. If there is, they signal you to take another path.”
In GK I, barricades installed a few days ago have cut off access from Lala Lajpat Rai Marg to Hansraj Gupta Marg, which is just 1 km from GK I police station. “In fact, only Greater Kailash Road and N Block have open roads, all the rest are closed now,” says security guard Surendra Gowri.
He says that barriers have been put in place after the recent incidents of car theft. “Two days ago, a patient came in a private car, and asked to be let off. I feel really bad, but what can we do? It is only an instruction to the residents to move out…the security of the area cannot be compromised,’ he argued.
At the end of M Block Road in GK II, the familiar yellow barricades have been cordoned off and some vehicles coming from Alaknand Road are forced to reroute. A security guard, meanwhile, sits in his booth, unmoving.