New Delhi metro station closes as Delhi's tally of shut metro stations rises to 18

Delhi's usually pretty good at keeping itself moving, despite the traffic jokes. But this week, the city centre has become a bit of an obstacle course. Student-led protests around Jantar Mantar have led to metro station closures, road restrictions, patchy internet connectivity and disruptions across Central Delhi. If your plans involve Connaught Place, New Delhi Railway Station or anywhere nearby, here's a quick rundown of what's currently affected.

18 metro stations shut

Initially, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced, for the third consecutive day, the closure of 17 metro stations across the city. Later in the day on Friday, July 24, the DMRC announced that New Delhi metro station – a crucial station used by commuters travelling to the New Delhi Railway Station – was also closed until further notice, with no interchange facility available either.

Located on the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway, the metro station's also a major interchange hub served by the Yellow Line and the Airport Express (Orange Line). 

Delhi, in total, is supplied by 270 metro stations. The 18 closed are some of the busiest stations in the capital, recording some of the highest footfall. Here's the full list of all the metro stations closed across Delhi so far.

1. Lok Kalyan Marg
2. Rajiv Chowk
3. Patel Chowk
4. Ramakrishna Ashram Marg
5. Barakhambha Road
6. Supreme Court
7. Seva Teerth
8. Janpath
9. Mandi House
10. Central Secretariat
11. ITO
12. Delhi Gate
13. Indraprastha
14. Khan Market
15. Jor Bagh
16. Shivaji Stadium
17. Jhandewalan
18. New Delhi

However, the interchange facilities at Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House and Central Secretariat metro stations are, so far, still plying. 

Central Delhi goes into lockdown

Within a 1.5 km radius around Jantar Mantar, your phone is likely to lose internet connectivity. Central Delhi went into this digital lockdown on Thursday, July 23 evening, and has remained that way since.

Over to transport, commuting around Jantar Mantar is thankfully allowed. But roads leading to the protest site have been closed to cars. That's because thousands of protesters continue to occupy a stretch of Sansad Marg (from Connaught Place towards Tolstoy Marg), while security forces remain stationed along the rest of the arterial road leading to Parliament House, including roads around Patel Chowk and Sansad Chowk. This also calls for sore traffic.

Food delivery and quick-commerce platforms have also hit pause on deliveries to Jantar Mantar. Zomato and Zomato-owned Blinkit, Swiggy and Instamart, and Zepto are all on the list.

CP might shut down by dusk

CP carries a huge chunk of Delhi's nightlife on its shoulders, but on Thursday the city's favourite shopping-and-eating spot called it an early night. Shutters came down at 6.30pm, following the advisory issued by the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) earlier that day.

Shops, restaurants and offices in centrally located Connaught Place were all shut. Whether the same happens today remains to be seen, so it's best to keep an eye on official advisories before making plans.