The restrictions will be in place from September 8 to 10, with the strictest measures on the final two days.

Travel and access to the national capital during the G20 Summit days will be severely restricted, particularly in the New Delhi district — also known as the Lutyens’ Zone — where only residents and those in essential services jobs will be allowed to enter after proving their identity, according to a traffic plan shared by the Delhi Police on Friday

The restrictions will apply for the period between September 8 and 10, with the strictest ones in force on the final two days when heads of states and ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) nations are scheduled to arrive in Delhi for the Summit that marks the biggest multilateral event to be held in the city since the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Among the expected and confirmed attendees are US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and thousands of people invited as delegates, government representatives and as other dignitaries.

The restrictions have been divided into controlled and regulated zones. The New Delhi district has been classified as Controlled Zone 1, and certain other stretches — such as the Vikas Marg leading to ITO, roads near the Red Fort, and the vicinity of the city’s two main train stations — close to the venue have been clubbed into Controlled Zone 2.

The Regulated Zone will apply to all areas within the Ring Road, said Surender Singh Yadav, the special commissioner of police (traffic), who added that a helpdesk will be launched on the Delhi Police website with list of available transport and medical facilities.

“There will be no impact of these restrictions on ambulance movement or essential services. Since no buses will be allowed to move on the city roads between the midnights of September 7 and September 10, people are advised to use the Metro for commuting to their destination,” he said. Police officials, however, have separately written to the Delhi Metro asking them to shut services at some stations.

But the scale of restrictions are staggering and indicate the city is still a long way from becoming a Capital that can host high-profile global events while letting normal life go on, without needing to virtually lock itself down for the sake of security and convenience of guests.

Beginning September 9, 5am, only residents, authorised vehicles, and essential services providers will be allowed to enter Controlled Zone 1 and they will need to show documents to prove their identity, Yadav said. A list of essential services was not immediately available but these are likely to include media professionals, doctors, and drivers ferrying food and other essential commodities who have the requisite permissions.There may also be passes issued for smooth transit, like during the Covid lockdowns, but this plan is yet to be finalised, people aware of the matter said.

In the Controlled Zone 1, taxis and auto-rickshaws will be banned unless they have passengers who are residents or tourists with confirmed bookings at hotels within that zone. Bus services will be restricted across the city for three days: September 8, 9 and 10.

Between 5am and 1pm on September 10, the last day of the summit, similar restrictions will come into force for Controlled Zone 2. In this case, access will be restricted for New Delhi Railway Station from Ajmeri Gate, Old Delhi Railway Station from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, Shanti Van Chowk from Geeta Colony, ITO from Vikas Marg, Rajghat Chowk from Jawahar Lal Nehru (JLN) Marg side, and to Guru Nanak Chowk from Minto Road.

In the regulated zones, roads leading towards New Delhi district will be picketed at various intervals and only residents, authorised vehicles, emergency vehicles, and vehicles of passengers travelling to the airport or the train stations will be allowed from 5am on September 9 till 11.59pm on September 10.