Urban transit throughout the national capital is operating under an extensive traffic management protocol as New Delhi hosts global heads of state and high-profile international delegations for the 18th BRICS Summit. With world leaders congregating at the Bharat Mandapam convention complex at Pragati Maidan for the main summit proceedings on September 12 and 13, the Delhi Traffic Police has deployed elaborate road management measures across Central, South, and New Delhi. The primary objective is to maintain an airtight, secure passage for visiting dignitaries while facilitating public movement with minimal civilian disruption. Under the updated advisory, traffic diversions and regulated vehicular movement are in effect from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM on Saturday, September 12, prompting commuters across the National Capital Region to adjust their weekend travel plans, schedule significant journey buffers, and pivot toward rapid transit alternatives.
The twelve-hour window of regulated transit covers an extensive network of vital city arteries, connecting the diplomatic enclaves of Chanakyapuri, central administrative zones, luxury delegate accommodations, and the Bharat Mandapam complex. Commuters are advised that the designated controlled areas do not necessarily imply total, round-the-clock road closures; rather, vehicular flows are actively regulated, filtered, or temporarily halted depending on the real-time movement of high-security motorcades. To manage these vehicular transitions efficiently, the traffic enforcement division has set up twenty-two major diversion points across the capital, manned by teams of traffic personnel who are coordinating detour lanes, guiding private vehicle owners, and keeping priority corridors clear of bottlenecks.
Motorists traveling through New Delhi and adjoining central corridors must anticipate significant slowdowns and temporary diversions across more than thirty-five identified high-density roadways. Key routes subject to active regulations and intermittent movement restrictions include Mathura Road—particularly between the Subramaniam Bharti Marg crossing and the Lodhi Road Flyover—as well as Tees January Marg, Janpath, Satya Marg, Prithvi Raj Road, Feroze Shah Road, Ashoka Road, Tughlak Road, Neela Gumbad, Panchsheel Marg, and Subramaniam Bharti Marg. Heavy controls also apply to Sardar Patel Marg, Mother Teresa Crescent, Teen Murti Marg, Akbar Road, Rajesh Pilot Marg, Moti Lal Nehru Marg, Dr. Zakir Hussain Marg, Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh Marg, Nyaya Marg, Safdarjung Road, and Africa Avenue. Key roundabouts and junction points, including Dhaula Kuan, Mandi House, Lodhi Road, Patel Chowk, and Ram Charan Aggarwal Chowk, are serving as principal sorting junctions where general civilian vehicles are channeled away from VIP corridors.
Strict commercial vehicle guidelines and parking restrictions have also been put in place to maintain open carriageways. Non-destined commercial vehicles and heavy transport trucks are strictly prohibited from entering Delhi territory during the summit period, with peripheral expressways and bypass routes activated to handle through-traffic heading toward neighboring states. Inside the capital, roadside parking is strictly banned within two hundred meters of all designated controlled roads. Unauthorized curbside parking by taxis, app-based cabs, auto-rickshaws, and e-rickshaws is closely monitored, with stopping permitted only at officially recognized bays and terminals to prevent roadside congestion from obstructing emergency convoys. While regular city buses operated by the Delhi Transport Corporation continue services, their routes, turnaround points, and stops in central sectors are subject to diversions and curtailments based on active motorcade movements.
To maintain critical urban connectivity, specialized transit corridors have been mapped out for travelers commuting to major railway stations and Indira Gandhi International Airport. Passengers heading toward New Delhi Railway Station from south and west Delhi are advised to take Dhaula Kuan onto Vande Mataram Marg, proceeding through Panchkuian Road toward the Outer Circle of Connaught Place, and accessing either the Paharganj side via Chelmsford Road or the Ajmeri Gate side via Minto Road and Bhavbhuti Marg. Travelers approaching from east Delhi are guided via Vikas Marg and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg toward Bhavbhuti Marg. For Old Delhi Railway Station, recommended access routes run via ISBT Kashmere Gate, Ring Road, Hanuman Mandir, and SP Mukherjee Marg, or through Rani Jhansi Marg and the Rani Jhansi Flyover. Passengers departing from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station are guided to use the Ring Road corridors through AIIMS Chowk and Ashram Chowk before turning toward Mathura Road.
Air travelers heading toward Indira Gandhi International Airport must exercise particular caution and plan significant departure margins. Road routes connecting to Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 from Gurugram run along NH-48 via Rao Gajraj Singh Marg and Old Delhi Gurugram Road toward the Urban Extension Road II service lanes, while Dwarka residents can utilize Sector-22 Dwarka Road directly into the UER II tunnel network. Commuters traveling to the airport from New Delhi or South Delhi are advised to navigate AIIMS Chowk, Ring Road, Moti Bagh Chowk, Rao Tula Ram Marg, and Shankar Vihar Flyover toward Ulaanbaatar Marg. However, because surface road corridors remain vulnerable to temporary motorcade holds, aviation authorities and traffic police strongly urge air passengers to skip roadway congestion entirely and board the high-speed Delhi Metro Airport Express Line, which provides guaranteed transit times directly into the terminal concourse.
Throughout the multi-day diplomatic event, the Delhi Metro remains the most reliable, seamless mode of travel across the entire National Capital Region. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has maintained standard operational frequencies across all metro lines, with every station across Central and South Delhi operating without interruption. With surface streets facing dynamic diversions, city commuters heading to corporate offices, commercial hubs, hospitals, and transit hubs are emphatically urged to rely on rail transit. Concurrently, traffic enforcement authorities have reaffirmed that all emergency, medical, and essential utility vehicles—such as ambulances, fire tenders, and hospital supply units—are guaranteed completely unrestricted, priority passage round the clock across every traffic corridor in the city. By staying informed through official advisory platforms, avoiding unessential driving through central sectors, and using the metro network, residents can navigate the city smoothly during this historic international summit.