New Delhi, May 28: All entry and exit gates at Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations of the Delhi Metro were closed for several hours in view of the inauguration of the new parliament building on Sunday, officials said.

The new structure is located near the Central Secretariat station which is an interchange facility between Yellow Line and Violet Line. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new parliament building on Sunday in the presence of a large number of dignitaries and priests. New Parliament Inauguration: Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan Metro Station’s Exit Gates Closed for Passengers.

"As per directions received from the Delhi Metro Rail Police, all entry and exit gates of Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations have been closed for passenger movement," the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation tweeted around 8:30 am.

A senior official said the gates of these two stations were closed since the start of metro services on Sunday. However, interchange facilities were available at Central Secretariat. Announcements were being made regularly at these two stations since morning, the official said. Around 3 pm, all the gates were reopened, officials said. Rahul Gandhi Slams PM Narendra Modi Over New Parliament Building, Says ‘Treating Inauguration Like Coronation’.

Ahead of the inauguration, police had issued a traffic advisory that the New Delhi district will be treated as a controlled area and entry of vehicles will be restricted. Besides additional deployment of force, CCTV monitoring is being carried out continuously, the police said. While around 20 parties boycotted the ceremony, agitating wrestlers had threatened to hold a protest meeting in front of the new parliament building on Sunday.

According to the traffic advisory, only public transport vehicles, civil service aspirants, bonafide residents, labelled vehicles and emergency vehicles were allowed to move in the New Delhi area. The Delhi traffic police urged people to plan their journey accordingly and avoid the New Delhi district from 5:30 am to 3 pm.