New Delhi :A fair has exposed the collapse of administrative arrangements in Delhi. On the very first day of the Delhi Art Fair, which began on February 5 at the NSIC premises, thousands of people were trapped on the roads. People took nearly two hours to cover a distance of just two kilometres by vehicle. Thousands abandoned the roads and rushed towards the metro stations, where they again had to endure massive crowds. From afternoon till late night, the situation reflected a severe failure of Delhi’s administrative management.

The condition of DTC drivers and conductors—who work on low salaries and often on contractual terms—appeared even more distressing. Their buses were barely crawling, stopping repeatedly amid the congestion. Ambulances stuck on the roads faced the worst ordeal. Traffic police were conspicuously absent from major junctions and stretches, with no visible effort to manage the chaos.

The Delhi Art Fair will continue for four more days. How permission was granted to organise such a large-scale event in a densely populated area like Okhla–Govindpuri is itself a matter that warrants investigation. Visitors to the fair parked their vehicles right on the roads. In Delhi, roadside parking has become routine, with more than half of the road space effectively converted into permanent parking. As a result, buses entering residential areas struggle daily against these “road monsters”.

A passenger travelling by a public bus said it took five hours to reach Nehru Place from Badarpur on Wednesday. Due to hours-long traffic jams, commuters within a 10–20 kilometre radius across Delhi suffered immensely. If this situation continues, it will be difficult to prevent a major accident or mishappening in the city.

Roadside parking has become a monstrous problem. From Shalimar Bagh to Badarpur and from Patparganj to Nangloi, roads appear to have shrunk under the pressure of vehicles—disappearing at places or turning into narrow lanes, struggling for their very existence.