New parliament building inauguration: Entry, exit gates of two metro stations in Delhi closed

A CISF personnel on duty said instructions to close this gate came after 12 noon, adding that gates one and two can be used by public.Ahead of the inauguration, police issued a traffic advisory that the New Delhi district will be treated as a controlled area and entry of vehicles will be restricted.

All entry and exit gates at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations of the Delhi Metro have been closed because of the inauguration of the new parliament building, officials said on Sunday.

The gate number three of the Patel Chowk metro station that opens on the Ashoka Road, was also closed around noon.

The new structure is located near the Central Secretariat station which is an interchange facility between Yellow Line and Violet Line.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new parliament building on Sunday in the presence of a large number of dignitaries and priests.

''As per directions received from the Delhi Metro Rail Police, all entry and exit gates of Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations have been closed for passenger movement,'' the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation tweeted around 8:30 am.

A senior official said the gates of these two stations were closed since the start of metro services on Sunday. However, interchange facilities are available at Central Secretariat.

Announcements were being made regularly at these two stations since morning, the official said.

Gate number three of the Patel Chowk metro station that opens on Ashoka Road, has also been closed. A CISF personnel on duty said instructions to close this gate came after 12 noon, adding that gates one and two can be used by public.

Ahead of the inauguration, police issued a traffic advisory that the New Delhi district will be treated as a controlled area and entry of vehicles will be restricted. Besides additional deployment of force, CCTV monitoring is being carried out continuously, the police said.

While around 20 parties have announced a boycott of the ceremony, agitating wrestlers are threatening to hold a protest meeting in front of the new parliament building on Sunday.

According to the traffic advisory, only public transport vehicles, civil service aspirants, bonafide residents, labelled vehicles and emergency vehicles will be allowed to move in the New Delhi area. The Delhi traffic police has urged people to plan their journey accordingly and avoid the New Delhi district from 5:30 am to 3 pm.