Kanwar Yatra traffic curbs to hit western UP districts from July 30
Heavy traffic restrictions will be enforced in phases across western Uttar Pradesh for the annual Kanwar Yatra, with officials saying preparations including medical support, CCTV
Heavy traffic restrictions will be enforced in phases across western Uttar Pradesh for the annual Kanwar Yatra, with officials saying preparations including medical support, CCTV surveillance and deployment of relief personnel have been completed. The pilgrimage will begin on July 30 and conclude on August 11. The curbs will affect travel on key routes linking Delhi, Haridwar, Dehradun and Saharanpur, with diversions expected to increase travel time. Officials also said bus and taxi fares could rise because of the longer routes, while liquor shops and non-vegetarian eateries on the yatra route have been cleared. Read Full Story In Muzaffarnagar district, a complete ban on vehicular movement on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway and the Ganga canal road will come into force from August 4 to facilitate the movement of kanwariyas. Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar said heavy vehicles would be barred from key routes from July 30, while all traffic would be prohibited on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway and the Ganga canal road in the district from August 4. “Traffic will be diverted to alternate routes to ensure smooth movement of Kanwariyas during the yatra,” Kumar told reporters. Under the diversion plan, traffic from Haridwar and Saharanpur towards Delhi will be routed through Deoband, Pachenda, Mirapur and Mawana in Meerut before reaching the national capital.
Return traffic will follow the same route. Officials said the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has arranged to run buses on diversion routes, though passengers are likely to face longer journeys and higher fares because of the additional distance. In Ghaziabad, the commissionerate police have announced a staggered diversion plan from July 29 to August 12. Heavy goods vehicles entering the city from the Delhi side have been barred since Wednesday morning and are being diverted through the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the Ganga Expressway and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. Restrictions on light commercial vehicles, cars, tempos and other passenger vehicles will begin from the morning of August 5. The Ganga canal embankment road and pipeline road will remain fully closed, while vehicular movement on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will stop from August 7, except for Dak Kanwariyas. Authorities have also suspended the entry of state-run, private, city and electric buses into Ghaziabad from Seemapuri border and Tulsi Niketan from August 5, and diverted them through alternate routes. District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said preparations had been completed, with the district divided into 11 zones, 24 sectors and 108 sub-sectors for administrative supervision. Officials said about 300 kanwar camps are expected to be set up with more than 205 kanwar organisations participating.
The BriefWire