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Likely plans to seal Delhi border points, city stares at gridlock due to farmers' protests

Feb 13, 2024 02:10 AM IST

Senior traffic police officials said the movement of vehicles would be hit and there was a likelihood of commuters getting stranded in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Delhi may face massive traffic chaos on Tuesday, especially in areas adjoining Delhi-Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-Haryana borders if the Delhi Police implements its plan to seal four border points at Ghazipur, Chilla, Tikri and Singhu in case the protesting farmers continued their march from Punjab to Delhi.

Haryana Police personnel set up barricades at Jhamari in Ambala, on the border with Punjab, on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
Haryana Police personnel set up barricades at Jhamari in Ambala, on the border with Punjab, on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)

Till Monday evening, Central ministers were holding talks with the farm leaders in Chandigarh. Massive deployment of security forces has been done across Delhi and Haryana along with barricades put up at several points to prevent the farmers from marching to Delhi.

Senior traffic police officials said the movement of vehicles would be hit and there was a likelihood of commuters getting stranded in bumper-to-bumper traffic snarls, inter-state officegoers getting delayed in traffic if the stalemate was not resolved. The traffic police on Tuesday issued a detailed traffic advisory suggesting alternative routes for the movement of people between Delhi and Haryana bypassing the four border points.

The city police planned to seal these borders from by placing multi-layered blockades using jersey barriers, iron barricades, shipping containers, barbed wires, and heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.

The traffic police first issued an advisory on Sunday, however, it was revised on Monday saying that traffic diversions “may be required at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders depending on the conditions.” Earlier, the police had said that diversions will be put in place on Monday and Tuesday.

“The general public will be informed about diversions well-in-advance,” the revised advisory said.

Read more: Farmers' protest: Centre holds talk, tractors march to Delhi, borders sealed | Top updates

On Monday, the police allowed traffic movement at all the four border points. However, the movement was affected by several barricades that have been put up in view of plans to curtail the farmers’ protest.

Senior traffic police officers said that the decision to impose traffic restrictions and diversions on Monday and Tuesday was taken keeping in view the movement of the agitating farmers towards Delhi, hinting that they would reach Delhi borders by Monday morning or afternoon. “But as their arrival was delayed, we decided to maintain security and traffic preparedness even as we invoked the restrictions and diversions as and when needed. We have made elaborate arrangements at the borders to tackle any situation,” an officer who asked not to be named said.

Another traffic police officer said that all commercial vehicles en route to Delhi and further are being diverted to the alternative routes. Vehicles involved in transporting essential services such as milk, vegetable and food items will be allowed to enter the city through other routes but only after thorough search, the second officer said.

Read more: Farmers' protest traffic advisory: Avoid these routes in Noida, Greater Noida

“We urge the public to go through our detailed traffic advisory to know about alternative routes before leaving for their destinations. It will help them find their best routes and avoid inconvenience. Our traffic personnel have been deployed in adequate strength to facilitate movement of traffic through diversions,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Chinmoy Biswal.

While the city police officials said they were reviewing security and traffic plans according to the changing scenarios, the uncertainty regarding sealing of the borders and the time when traffic diversions will be invoked left many people confused and concerned.

“I usually drive between my home in Indirapuram (Ghaziabad) and my office at Janpath in central Delhi. As Sunday’s traffic police advisory suggested that diversions will be imposed from Monday, I travelled in Metro to avoid the traffic hassle. However, my colleagues who reached the office in their cars told me that the borders were open and they only found the usual morning peak hour traffic jams. Since there is no clarity from Delhi Traffic Police whether traffic diversions and restrictions will be imposed on Tuesday morning, I am still in a dilemma,” said Ujjawal Tripathi, an accountant.

Arvind Singh, a resident of Vaishali in Ghaziabad, was concerned over whether the school bus would come to pick up his son Tuesday. “My son is a Class 3 student in a private school in Mayur Vihar-1. The traffic police advisory has no mention about the routes of school buses and whether they would be allowed to ply on their regular routes on Tuesday. We spoke to his teachers but they had no clarity,” added Singh.

When asked about the movement of school buses, a third traffic police officer said, “The buses would use their regular routes if the borders were not closed in the morning or in the afternoon. In case the borders are closed, the school buses will have to take the alternative routes suggested in the traffic advisory.”

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