The Uttar Pradesh police have announced that the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) will be closed during the Kanwar Yatra and that traffic will be diverted to other routes.
As per reports, the DME will be off-limits for heavy vehicles like buses and trucks from July 22. The traffic police will extend the restriction to all vehicles, including private cars, from July 29. This diversion will remain in place until 8PM on August 5.
The annual Kanwar Yatra sees pilgrims from Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad travelling on the DME to Haridwar and then returning with water from the Ganges for the Dudheswar Nath temple in Ghaziabad. It is estimated to attract 15-20 lakh devotees this year and will end on August 2.
Vehicles coming from Delhi and crossing the Tulsi Niketan, Seemapuri and Anand Vihar borders towards Ghaziabad will be rerouted via Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg to UP Gate and then along NH-9. Vehicles headed to places such as Haridwar, Amroha, Moradabad and Lucknow will travel through UP Gate, NH-9 and the Dasna Intersection before taking the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.
Vehicles travelling to Delhi from Baghpat will be diverted through Tronica City or Sonia Vihar. Those from Hapur and Bulandshahr heading to Ghaziabad via the Dasna Railway Overbridge will be rerouted to NH-9. Vehicles going from Delhi and Hapur towards Ghaziabad via the Atmaram Steel Tiraha will also be restricted and would have to reroute through the NH-9 instead.
The movement of vehicles from the Loni border will be completely restricted while vehicles going from the Santosh Medical Cut (NH-9) towards Meerut Tiraha will be stopped as well. The entry of heavy vehicles from Gaur Green, Khoda, Kalapatthar, Sector 62, Chhijarasi and Kanavani to Indirapuram via NH-9 will also be diverted, as per reports.
For those coming from Hapur via Bhojpur towards Modinagar, new routes will be designated. The entry of trucks on the Gangnahar Patri Kanwad Road, Pipeline Road, NH-34 (formerly NH-58) and DME will be restricted. Additionally, vehicles from the Vasundhara Flyover heading towards Mohannagar will be stopped.
According to reports, no pilgrim groups will be allowed to set up camps along the NH-9 or DME. The camps will only be allowed on traditional routes and not on main roads.
(With inputs from multiple news agencies)