CHAOS.DISORDER-THY NAME IS PAHARGANJ

FOR thousands entering New Delhi Railway Station via Paharganj, the journey begins well before the train. Caught in a tangle of unmoving traffic, overflowing markets, and encroached footpaths, passengers often find themselves walking the last 200-300 metres—not out of choice, but compulsion.

- IFRAH MUFTI

• Haphazardly parked auto-rickshaws, food stalls cause disruption at entrance

• Northern Railways in 2023 proposed 11 km of elevated corridors

A family of five sits restlessly inside a taxi, stuck approximately 250 metres from the station entrance. They've been here for nearly half an hour. The clock is ticking, and the train won't wait. A coolie in a faded red shirt knocks gently on the window, motioning to the bags piled in the trunk. "It'll take you another 30-40 minutes to get in if you wait," he says—not as a threat, but as a fact.

The father sighs, pays the driver, and the family begins to unload. Bags are handed over, and they join the silent procession of passengers on foot—weaving past food carts, broken pavements, and encroachments that spill out from every corner.

Reaching the station This is Paharganj—where getting to the station is often harder than the journey ahead. This is the reason why reaching the New Delhi Railway Station from the Paharganj side feels like a test of patience.

A tangled mess of honking traffic, haphazardly parked auto-rickshaws, and makeshift food stalls greets commuters with chole kulche and paani puri long before they even catch a glimpse of the station.