Ghaziabad: There will be no restriction on the movement of private cars and app-hailing taxis on Delhi-Meerut Expressway for the ongoing kanwar yatra for now. Restrictions, however, will kick in for goods carriers across categories — heavy, medium and light — from Friday to Aug 12.With few dak kanwars — pilgrims who run the route barefoot, accompanied by relay teams in trucks and on bikes, and predominantly use the expressway to reach Haridwar — seen on DME, the traffic department on Thursday put a hold on its plan to close the UP section of DME from UP Gate on the Delhi border to Kashi toll plaza near the Meerut border for private vehicles.DCP (traffic) Trigun Bisen said the movement of dak kanwars will be reviewed over the next few days to take a call on further restrictions. “So far, there is no restriction on private vehicles as fewer dak kanwars are reaching city. We will assess the situation as per information relayed from Meerut police,” he said.Additional DCP (traffic) Varun Singh said commuters headed to Delhi or Ghaziabad will be diverted via NH-9 once restrictions come into force. Those headed to Delhi from Dansa will have to take EPE.Delhi-bound traffic from Ghaziabad has to take Link Road in Vaishali or the Anand Vihar border if DME is closed — routes that lack the expressway’s width and will lead to snarls. Ghaziabad-bound traffic will also be affected, particularly in the evenings, at the entry points to Anand Vihar and Vaishali.There are three designated routes for kanwar yatra. The first is via Pipeline Road, running from Loni Border to Niwari, meant for pilgrims who undertake the pilgrimage on foot only. The second is DME, from UP Gate to Kashi Toll Plaza, designated for dak kanwars. A third route runs via NH-34 to Meerut Chowraha to Seemapuri area via GT Road.A senior police officer said traffic police have identified 12 major intersections on the main kanwar routes, where pilgrims and regular traffic intersect, as pressure points. At these locations, traffic is halted periodically to allow groups of pilgrims to pass through. A total of 12 police personnel, including four traffic officers, have been deployed to manage the situation at each of these spots.
