Traffic crawls in central Delhi as excited fans throng JLN Stadium for Diljit Dosanjh’s concert

Traffic moved at a snail’s pace near Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in central Delhi on Saturday as thousands of fans turned up to attend Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert.

More than 3,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order, police officials said.

Traffic crawled in areas around the stadium, including Lodhi Road.

In a post on X, a commuter said that due to heavy traffic, it took him two hours to cover the stretch from the Lodhi Road flyover to Chirag Delhi.

A fan outside JLN Stadium said she has attended many music concerts but is very excited about Dosanjh’s first concert in India.

Dosanjh kicked off his “Dil-Luminati India Tour 2024” with his concerts in Delhi.

The concerts, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, became one of the most awaited musical events of the year, marking the singer’s return to India after the grand success of his shows in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

“We are expecting around 35,000 people to come for the event. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in and around the stadium,” a senior police officer said.

More than 3,000 security personnel have been deployed in and around the stadium. Paramilitary forces, including a company of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), have also been deployed, the officials said.

Policemen in plain clothes have been deployed to keep an eye on activities inside the stadium and a large number of CCTV cameras have been installed in and around the venue, they said.

On Friday, police had issued a traffic advisory informing commuters about road closures and traffic diversions.

According to the advisory, the movement of heavy motor vehicles from JLN Stadium red light to whole BP Marg would be restricted on Saturday and Sunday from 4 pm to 11 pm.

It advised commuters to avoid BP Marg, Lodhi Road, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg and roads around JLN Stadium during these hours.

Emergency vehicles including police, ambulance and fire brigades will have unrestricted access. However, emergency vehicles are advised to abstain from BP Marg and Lodhi Road to avoid any inconvenience, the advisory stated.

Police also advised people to use public transport to reduce congestion and plan their journeys to avoid delays.