Delhi Police issued a traffic advisory asking app-based cab, food-delivery, and logistics services to limit operations in restricted areas of Central Delhi [1].
The move aims to maintain public safety and traffic flow around the Jantar Mantar protest site, where the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) is demonstrating [1, 2].
Authorities targeted services such as Swiggy, Blinkit, and Uber, requesting they restrict activity in areas under prohibitory orders [1]. A Delhi Police spokesperson said, "We have asked these services to limit operations in the notified areas to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow" [1].
The advisory was issued on July 20, 2024 [3]. This action follows the gathering of hundreds of supporters at the site for the first street protest of the online joke party [2, 4].
The demonstration had continued for 20 days at the time of reporting [5]. The environment at the site has been described as difficult by those involved. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said, "People are falling sick; the police are denying us basic facilities" [5].
There have been conflicting reports regarding the nature of these restrictions. While the police asked companies to limit their operations, the Delhi Police later rejected reports of a total ban on food delivery, calling such claims false, baseless, and misleading [1].
Security remains tight in the area to manage the crowd and prevent traffic congestion, a common challenge during protests at the historic Jantar Mantar site [1, 2].
“"We have asked these services to limit operations in the notified areas to ensure safety and smooth traffic flow."”
The restriction of gig-economy services during public demonstrations highlights the tension between urban logistics and security management in Delhi. By limiting the flow of delivery drivers and ride-hailing vehicles into a protest zone, authorities aim to reduce congestion and prevent the area from becoming a bottleneck, though it often leads to accusations of isolating protesters from essential services.
