Ghaziabad: An annual one-way closure on Delhi-Meerut Road meant to streamline the rush for kanwar pilgrimage has started affecting city residents. After police advanced the diversion plans for kanwar yatra by two days, citing a surge in pilgrims and the disruption caused by Monday’s ambulance-tractor trolley collision, a routine journey that would only take a few minutes is being stretched for hours.The Meerut-Ghaziabad carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Road has been earmarked exclusively for kanwariyas, while vehicles are being diverted to the opposite carriageway. The one-way system will remain in force till Aug 12. Other road diversions will also continue till Shivratri.In the past couple of days, snarls have worsened in Mohan Nagar, Vashundhara, GT Road, Delhi-Meerut Road, Loni and other parts of the district.A resident of Modinagar, Kunal Gupta, said his office at Raj Nagar District Centre is a 45-minute drive on a regular day, but with the diversions in place, that journey is stretching to one and a half hours every day.“Traffic police are diverting vehicles to give access to kanwariyas, but how is it fair for residents like us?” asked another resident, Anshul Verma. “On Aug 3, I was stuck in traffic for more than two hours due to the sudden one-way arrangement. My seniors shouted at me for being so late.”ADCP Varun Singh said a sudden increase in the number of pilgrims has necessitated that the diversions be brought ahead of schedule. “We have put more than 1,000 cones and 500 barricades on Delhi-Meerut Road to divide it into two lanes between Kadrabad area and Meerut Tiraha. More than 500 police personnel have been deployed to manage traffic,” he said.In the trans-Hindon area and other parts of the route, traffic police are allowing kanwariyas to pass first, and once the number decreases, they are letting vehicles move, he added.From Aug 7, the movement of vehicles has been banned on the entire UP stretch of Delhi-Meerut Expressway for the annual kanwar pilgrimage. Singh earlier told TOI that all six lanes of the speedway will be out of bounds for traffic — cars, trucks and buses — from UP Gate on the Delhi border to Kashi toll plaza near the Meerut border for five days. The adjacent NH-9 lanes will, however, remain open. The restrictions for all types of vehicles will continue till Shivratri on Aug 12. Heavy vehicles have already been barred from the stretch since July 29.
