The Hindu Business Line : Hurdles to bilateral ties

Citizens of Delhi are literally paying for living in the Capital. While the visit of the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, was aimed at improving bilateral relations, residents of Delhi faced traffic chaos on Tuesday when the foreign dignitary stepped out of his hotel for official engagements. Since the Tibetans had made it clear that they would protest Hu's visit, most of the roads in central Delhi were cordoned off to prevent any embarrassment to Hu or his host, the Indian Government.

There were repeat shows on Wednesday and Thursday as the BJP first and the Left parties next decided to put up a show of strength on the streets of the Capital to protest against a range of issues — rising prices, soft approach towards terrorists, Government's economic policies and the continuing neglect of the rural poor.

The consequence was that most appointments were missed, press conference could not take off as neither the hosts nor the journalists could make it in time and the collective blood pressure of those who had to venture out of their homes went up.

Our Delhi Bureau