Festivities throw traffic out of gear
The annual Chhat puja, observed by Poorvanchalis to worship the Sun God, threw traffic out of gear in the National Capital Region.
The annual Chhat puja, observed by Poorvanchalis to worship the Sun God, threw traffic out of gear in the National Capital Region.
As lakhs of people hailing from Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand gathered at several ghats along the River Yamuna in Delhi, traffic began to crawl at several places, including ITO, Wazirabad, Khajuri, Kalindi Kunj, DND flyover, Akshardham, Okhla and Lajpat Nagar among others.
“Though traffic movement was very slow at some points, there was no report of dislocation anywhere. Traffic police were deployed at all the ghats to ensure smooth movement of traffic,” said a senior officer of Delhi traffic police.
“During evening peak hours, some jams were seen at Geeta Colony, Shakarpur, IP Estate, Bhairon Marg, Bhalasva Lake, Bawana Road, Rohini, Ring Road, New Ashok Nagar, Paschim Vihar, Sultanpuri, Narela and Nangloi,” a traffic police official said.
The situation was equally bad in Noida where devotees offered prayers on the Okhla Barrage. Traffic was diverted to the Film City, from where commuters either took to DND Flyway or the Chilla Regulator (sector 14A Noida entry) to get to Delhi. Between Film City Flyover and Mahamaya Flyover, a narrow stretch caused traffic snarls.
ITO Bridge, Kondli Bridge, Chilla village, Kalindi Kunj, Usmanpur, Prembadi Bridge, Narela and Badli Canal were some of the main ghats where Chhat congregation arrangements had been made.
At 39, the maximum number of ghats are in East District. There are eight in North-West, six in North-East, five in North District, three each in South-West and South, two in West and one in Central District.