Gen Rawat funeral today: Check traffic restrictions in Delhi

New Delhi, Dec 10: The funeral of Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat will take place today with full military honours. Heavy traffic restrictions have been imposed in Delhi as a security measure.

Curbs will be imposed on the K Kamaraj Road in Delhi in view of the procession. Public transport will also be diverted on several other routes, which would affect he movement of buses and autos.

K Kamaraj Road will be closed for public transport soon after the bodies of CDS General Rawat and his wife reach their residence at Kamaraj Marg. This would affect bus services as there is a stop near the CDS' residence. The road would however be open to private vehicles, but this could change depending on VIP movement received by the police.

Many more decisions will be taken depending on the situation. The VIP movement on the roads will start from 8 am and will last until late evening. Along with the 100 police personnel, the DCP (Traffic) and ACP will also be present. They would ensure the smooth conduct of the procession from the K Kamaraj Marg to the Brar Square crematorium.

The people will be able to pay their final respects to the extraordinary commander who died in a chopper crash in Coonoor in Tamil Nadu along with 11 other personnel.

The bodies of General Rawat and his wife will be kept at their Kamaraj Marg residence from 11 am to 12.30 pm for the general public to pay their respects. The slot between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm will be kept for the military personnel to pay their respects.

The final journey of General Rawat from his residence to the Brar Square crematorium is scheduled to begin at 2 pm. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm. The funeral of Brigadier L S Lidder whose body was also identified as one of the casualties will be held at 9 am.

The IAF has confirmed the deaths of 13 people in the crash, but only three bodies have been identified so far. They are of General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and Brigadier L S Lidder. The Indian Army said that the bodies of those identified will be released to the families for last rites. The other bodies have been kept in the mortuary at the Army Base Hospital till they are identified.

On Thursday Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the country's top military brass paid homage to General Rawat, his wife and Brigadier Lidder.

NSA Ajit Doval, Army Chief M M Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Air Chief Marshal A V R Chaudhari, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among those who paid homage to the deceased at a sombre ceremony.

Heart-wrenching scenes were seen at the Palam airport as 13 caskets were lined up inside a hangar in presence of their family members.