With access to parts of key routes in Ghaziabad and Noida blocked off for the Kanwar Yatra, commuters across the two districts on Monday were struck in serpentine jams that, on some stretches, lasted nearly for several hours, forcing them to travel at a crawl during peak hours. A similar situation is expected on Tuesday as the annual pilgrimage draws to a close.
In Ghaziabad, a quick look at Google Maps showed the no entry sign — a red circle with a horizontal white bar — on large sections of the Delhi-Meerut Road, GT Road, and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME). Diversions have been on place on these routes for several days for the movement of the pilgrims.
Some of traffic was routed through National Highway-9 (NH-9), resulting in a three-hour long congestion in the morning as the weekday rush began, particularly from near Mehrauli till Lal Kuan intersection, Ghaziabad’s border with Gautam Budh Nagar.
Ghaziabad traffic police officials said diversions are in place till August 12. “There is a space constraint due to diversions, so traffic snarls have ensued,” additional deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (traffic), Varun Kumar Singh, told HT.
“The traffic was normalised on NH-9 after one-and-half hours on Monday morning. But there is a huge pressure on the route with the Meerut-Ghaziabad carriageway of the DME shut for now,” he further said, adding, “The Meerut-Ghaziabad carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Road is witnessing a huge volume of Kanwariyas who are arriving on foot from Haridwar.”
In Noida, roads connecting to Chilla Border and the Kalindi Kunj bridge from Delhi saw heavy traffic during peak hours, between 8-10 am and 6-8 pm, said officials.
At Kalindi Kunj, two of four lanes of the bridge, from Okhla Barrage towards the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, have been closed to facilitate the movement of the pilgrims. They enter through Mayur Vihar, pass by the Shani Temple and Okhla Bird Sanctuary, and exit at Kalindi Kunj, covering an approximately 4-km route within the city. The bridge is a crucial link for thousands of commuters travelling daily between south Delhi, Noida, and Faridabad.
“We are managing traffic in a stop-and-go manner at the Chilla border—the road connecting Delhi with the Noida Expressway and Sector 16A,” said Abhay Kumar Mishra, DCP (Traffic), Noida.
However, the stop-and-go traffic management led to increased pressure on the sector 14A Road, which handles more than 1,50,000 vehicles every day, extending up to the Dalit Prerna Sthal gate near the Noida Expressway.
“Every year, we commuters have to bear the brunt of the Kanwar Yatra. The Kalindi Kunj junction, which remains congested even on normal days, cannot handle the diversions and lane closures. I have to spend hours crossing that stretch,” said sector 20, Noida, resident Anand Gupta who uses the stretch for his daily commute to his office in Sarita Vihar. “Police should have planned an alternate route.”
DCP Mishra acknowledged the issue and said, “We deployed a maximum number of personnel to prevent long queues and maintain smooth traffic flow.” An additional 2,500 personnel were deployed across the district to ensure smooth movement, said Noida traffic police.
Sumit Kumar, a commuter from Hapur, said, even on a bike, it took him more than twice as long as his normal commute to office in Greater Noida because of the traffic. “It took me about two hours, compared to 45-50 minutes on a normal day. The descent side towards the GT Road at Lal Kuan was barricaded, creating long traffic snarls. I had to move further on NH-9 to reach Shahberi and then Greater Noida.”
One commuter from Dadri, Alka Singh, said the Lal Kuan intersection was nearly “choked”.
“An auto from Dadri dropped me a kilometre ahead of Lal Kuan intersection, and I crossed the intersection on foot to reach the Ghaziabad side,” she said.
With the extensive diversions, residents were forced to find alternate internal roads to be able to reach their destinations, said Shakti Khand, Indirapuram, resident Kuldeep Saxena.
“The normal traffic will be restored from August 13,” said additional DCP Singh.
