E-Paper
Despite Delhi seals its border, Ghaziabad and Noida commuters have free run
Ghaziabad/Noida:
Ghaziabad/Noida:
Even as the Delhi chief minister on Monday announced to seal the borders for a week, the movement of vehicles on Tuesday was smooth and there was no strict checking at the national capital’s borders with Ghaziabad and Noida.
Several commuters from Ghaizabad and Noida had a free run in the morning and also returned home without hindrance in the evening. Commuters said that there were hardly checks put in place by the UP Police or the Delhi Police at the borders.
To contain the rising Covid-19 cases, both Ghaziabad and Noida have announced restrictions on border movement, and only those involved in essential services or people with valid passes are allowed to entre the two cities.
“There was no stoppage of traffic either by the Ghaziabad police or the Delhi Police, and the commuters went smoothly to Delhi. There were barricades at the border, but no checks were in place in morning hours. I came back home around 5.30pm and still there were no checks by the police on either side,” said Kuldeep Saxena, a commuter from Indirapuram who works at Qutub Institutional Area in South Delhi.
“Only the internal expressway lanes of NH-9 near Ghazipur were blocked due to construction works. Although the authorities in both cities have announced sealing of borders, there is hardly any restriction at ground level,” Saxena added.
For commuters going to Delhi from Noida, the situation was similar in the morning hours. People coming to Noida faced traffic congestion, while those going to Delhi had a smooth sail on Tuesday.
“Though the traffic movement was better than Monday, there was thorough checking at the Noida border. But the other side seemed clear as always,” said Rishi Oswal, a commuter from Delhi travelling via DND Flyway.
The barricading at Delhi side was done after 10am, said officials of the Gautam Budh Nagar police.
“The traffic was considerably less compared to yesterday’s. But people without requisite documents were being turned away from both sides,” said Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1.
The officials said that old passes will work for entry in both Delhi and Noida.
Anita Singh, a resident of Greater Noida West, said, “We have a medical pass to visit a relative in Delhi and we have been travelling for the past one week. In the evening when we went through the Kalindi Kunj area, we found the police presence and even barricading on the Delhi side. However, the traffic was smooth and we were able to go comfortably.”
At the Ghaziabad’s UP Gate border, the checks, however, were put up around 12.30pm on Tuesday, the district police said.
“I was going to Delhi without a pass, and the cops turned me back at UP Gate around 12.30pm. Then I took the UP Gate flyover and went towards East Delhi. There were no checks by the Delhi Police,” said Prateek Kumar, a resident of Patel Nagar III in Ghaziabad, who works with a company in Noida’s Sector 65.
The Ghaziabad authorities had issued directions for strict sealing of borders with Delhi in the wake of rising number of cases related to cross-border travel.
“We have already placed checks and sealing at the borders. However, the traffic was smooth at UP Gate on Tuesday. To avoid any jams, we usually resort to random checks during peak hours. But we keep a tab on vehicles moving across the border. Only those having valid passes or engaged in essential services are allowed to move through,” said Anshu Jain, circle officer (Indirapuram).
Thousands of commuters from Ghaziabad and Noida go to Delhi daily to attend their offices which have now opened in the national capital following relaxations in lockdown.
The Ghaziabad officials have advised commuters to return from Delhi after 6pm. In his directions on May 25, the district magistrate had issued a list of commuters who are exempted and can move to Delhi on the basis of their identity cards or through special authroisation issued by their offices.
