Ghaziabad: Traffic to and from Delhi will see disruptions from Aug 7, with police deciding to close the entire UP stretch of Delhi-Meerut Expressway for the annual kanwar pilgrimage.Additional DCP (traffic) Varun Singh told TOI that all the six lanes of the speedway will be off-bounds for traffic — cars, trucks and buses — from UP Gate on the Delhi border to Kashi toll plaza near Meerut border for five days. The adjacent NH-9 lanes will, however, remain open.Last year, cops briefly diverted traffic from the DME, leading to traffic jams on NH-9. Most vehicles were diverted via NH-9, Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) and Noida.The restrictions for light and medium vehicles will start from 8 am on Aug 7 and stay in force until Shivratri on Aug 12. Heavy vehicles will be barred from the stretch from July 29. The closure will allow uninterrupted movement for dak kanwars, pilgrims who run the route barefoot, accompanied by relay teams in trucks and on bikes, who predominantly use the expressway.Three routes are used by pilgrims from neighbouring UP districts and Delhi to reach Haridwar, from where they collect Ganga water in their kanwars for the annual yatra. Pilgrims travelling on foot largely use the Pipeline Road between Loni border and Niwari, while a significant number take National Highway 34 via GT Road. Combined, the three routes span 150 km in Ghaziabad.Vehicles coming from Delhi via Tulsi Niketan, Seemapuri and Anand Vihar borders will be stopped at UP Gate and routed via Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg, Ghazipur mandi and NH-9, using EPE from Dasna intersection, or via Akshardham onto the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and the EPE intersection to reach Haridwar, Amroha, Moradabad or Lucknow.Vehicles from Baghpat headed to Delhi will be diverted via Tronica City or Sonia Vihar and Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, while those coming from Hapur or Bulandshahr will use NH-9 instead of entering Ghaziabad directly via Dasna, Lal Kuan or Atmaram Steel Plant crossing, the ADCP said.
Heavy vehicle entry will be completely barred from Loni border towards Loni Kasba, and from Santosh Medical cut in Siddharth Vihar towards Meerut crossing. The restriction also extends to the Indirapuram stretch from Gaur Green Avenue, Khoda, Kalapatthar, Noida’s Sector 62, Chhijarsi and Kanawani Pusta towards NH-9, as well as the Ganganahar Patri Kanwar Marg, Pipeline Marg, NH-34 (formerly NH-58) and the DME itself. Movement will also be prohibited on the Ganganahar Patri Kanwar Marg and Pipeline Marg.Cars and other light vehicles arriving from Mohannagar, Meerut crossing, Rajnagar Extension or Hapur Chungi will instead use the Meerut-bound lane of NH-34. From Aug 5, light vehicles coming from Palwal or Kundli via EPE and headed to Ghaziabad city, Muradnagar or Modinagar will not be allowed to exit at Duhai cut, and will instead exit at Dasna cut before proceeding via NH-9, police said.Movement from Chaudhary Mod, Gaushala crossing, Hapur crossing or Kaila Bhatta towards Dudheshwarnath temple will be entirely barred, as will vehicle movement on the Patel Nagar flyover. Light vehicles arriving via Railway Station Road, Kirana market, Ramteteram Road, Ghantaghar, Bajaria Road and Delhi Gate will also be barred from heading towards the temple.Vehicles from Meerut crossing will not be permitted towards Mokshdham Hindon bridge, Kanawani or Indirapuram. They will instead be routed from Naya Bus Adda via Chaudhary Mod, Vijay Nagar railway bridge and onto NH-9. Autos will not be allowed to operate between Seemapuri border and Lal Kuan, on the Kanwar Marg stretch of NH-34, or between Mohannagar and Anand Vihar.All roadways, private, city and electric buses will be barred from entering the city via Seemapuri border or Tulsi Niketan between Aug 5 and 12, and will instead be routed via Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg, Dilshad Garden, Delhi-Ghazipur Mandi, UP Gate and NH-9 through Dasna intersection and EPE, or via Akshardham onto Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, police said.Buses from Bulandshahr headed to Ghaziabad will terminate at Lal Kuan and will not be permitted further into the city. Buses arriving from Anand Vihar and Kaushambi will be completely barred from entering Ghaziabad and will be diverted via Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg, Ghazipur Mandi, NH-9 and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, the officer said.
