Join laser show at Connaught Place, avoid crackers: CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged Delhiites to visit Connaught Place and enjoy the community laser show from October 26-29 instead of bursting firecrackers on Diwali.
The CM said the show would be organised at the Central Park in Connaught Place for four days and inaugurated on October 26 by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal. “You will enjoy the show with rest of Delhi more than bursting crackers.Let us have a pollution-free Diwali this time,” Kejriwal said.
Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said there were no tickets or passes for the show. “There will be an hour-long laser and lighting show that will continue in a loop between 6pm and 10pm. Several other art and cultural programmes will also be organised,” he announced.
He added that there would be food courts and markets where people could enjoy with their families. “People of Delhi are like family to me, and this laser show aims at celebrating Diwali together like a family,” he said.
The Inner Circle will be pedestrianised for the event. According to an official, the parking lot of blocks A and B will be converted into food plazas and ‘haat’ for handicraft and artefacts. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the parking arrangements were likely to be made beyond Outer Circle such as Shivaji Stadium and battery-operated vehicles would be arranged to ferry visitors to the Central Park.
“The modalities are being worked out and will be shared soon,” he said. A meeting of traffic police officers and Delhi government officials was held at Delhi secretariat on Monday afternoon to discuss the issue.
While the Connaught Place traders have expressed reservations against the plan arguing that pedestrianisation of Inner Circle and restriction on parking of vehicles would keep customers away during the peak festival season, Kejriwal claimed that it would rather bring in more business for them.
“I can assure that your business will rather grow due to the community laser show. The entire Delhi will be there and the restrictions have been levied only on private cars because,” he said.
If the event gets a good response, the government might increase the number of locations where such “non-polluting” programmes will be held next year. “We all have been witnessing reports of high pollution levels since the past 10-15 years during Diwali. To avoid this situation, we want to celebrate a cracker and pollution-free Diwali this year, and I appeal to the people to be a part of the community laser show,” Sisodia said.