5,000 police personnel posted across Delhi for Kanwar Yatra

Key routes such as the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, Loni-Gokalpuri Road, Kalindi Kunj Road, and Agra Canal Road have already been partially cordoned off.

Nearly 5,000 security and traffic police personnel have been deployed across Delhi and its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to manage the influx of kanwariyas entering the city through 13 designated routes, senior police officers said on Tuesday.

Delhi Police along with Paramilitary officials deployed over the route of Kanwar Yatra near Shahdra in New Delhi on Tuesday. (Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times)

The deployment, part of an elaborate security and traffic management plan for the pilgrimage that started on July 11, comes as the annual Kanwar Yatra gains momentum, with pilgrims from Uttarakhand entering Delhi through border points with Uttar Pradesh. Key routes such as the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, Loni-Gokalpuri Road, Kalindi Kunj Road, and Agra Canal Road have already been partially cordoned off using nylon ropes, iron barricades, jersey barriers, and police columns to create dedicated lanes for kanwariyas.

Similar arrangements will be made along the remaining routes from Sunday, when the pilgrimage reaches its peak, police said.

“At least one lane of major roads has been earmarked for kanwariyas to prevent accidents and ensure smooth traffic flow. Our personnel will strictly enforce this separation,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta. He added that traffic has already been partially restricted along Kalindi Kunj and Agra Canal Road, with over 1,000 traffic police deployed for Yatra duties.

According to Delhi Traffic Police, kanwariyas are entering Delhi through Ghazipur, Maharajpur, Apsara, Bhopura, Loni, and Kalindi Kunj borders from Ghaziabad and Noida. They are passing through key arteries including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9, Mathura Road, Outer Ring Road, Aurobindo Marg, and Mehrauli-Gurugram Road.

While traffic congestion has already started on routes like Noida–Kalindi Kunj, more severe jams are expected from July 20 to 23, especially along GT Road, Wazirabad Road, NH-9, Ring Road near Sarai Kale Khan, Mathura Road between Ashram Chowk and Badarpur, Chirag Delhi-IIT flyovers, Aurobindo Marg, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, and NH-48 near Dhaula Kuan and Mahipalpur, according to the traffic police.

Snarls are also expected at Nangloi-Najafgarh Road, Rohtak Road, Outer Ring Road in west Delhi, Rani Jhansi Road from Baraf Khana Chowk to Fire Station, Boulevard Road, Azad Market Chowk in north Delhi, NH-44 towards Singhu border, and Gokalpuri flyover, 66 Foota Road, Maujpur Chowk, GT Road, Anand Vihar, and Ghazipur in east Delhi.

In light of past instances of violence involving kanwariyas, police presence has been ramped up at the 374 Kanwar camps across the Capital to prevent altercations between pilgrims and commuters. Officers have been instructed to stay vigilant, respond swiftly to potential flashpoints, and warn pilgrims against touching suspicious or unattended objects.

“We are also deploying drones to monitor camp activity and pilgrim movement. Our teams, along with camp organisers, are keeping a real-time count of incoming kanwariyas,” said deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.