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Ghaziabad cops turn away commuters without passes at UP Gate, deny them entry to Delhi
Long jams were seen at UP Gate, where Ghaziabad shares a border with east Delhi, on Tuesday morning after the district police restricted movement of vehicles to
Long jams were seen at UP Gate, where Ghaziabad shares a border with east Delhi, on Tuesday morning after the district police restricted movement of vehicles to the national capital on the orders of the Ghaziabad district magistrate.
District magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey on Monday had issued directions once again restricting the movement of commuters to Delhi and said they will need passes if they wished to travel to Delhi. Those in the exempted categories will be allowed to cross the state lines, the DM said.
“There were jams at the border as we conducted checks in compliance with the order of the district magistrate. We have opened the UP Gate and Anand Vihar-Kaushambi border for commuters, but people are allowed passage to Delhi only on the basis of passes issued by the administration,” Anshu Jain, Indirapuram’s circle officer, said.
“So far, we have allowed passage to vehicles involved in essential services over the flyover at UP Gate. Below the flyover, we are trying to create separate lanes for different categories of commuters. The plan will be put in place after discussions,” she said.
Jaivir Singh from Vaishali in Ghaziabad, one of those stuck at UP Gate on Tuesday, said he was not allowed entry to Delhi.“I reached the border, but was sent back by cops who said I need a valid to go to Delhi. The Delhi government has opened its offices and the Ghaziabad police are not allowing us to cross the borders even though I showed them my official ID,” Singh, who works with the municipal corporation of Delhi, said.
“So, I turned back after waiting for about an hour at UP Gate in the scorching heat,” he added. He said for the past about a week, the movement at the border was easy.
Like Singh, Neeraj Kumar also goes to Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, where he works with a private company involved in the sale of cars.
“The police did not allow me entry to Delhi and I had to return home. They asked me to apply for a pass in order to travel to Delhi. I will now ait for my office to arrange it,” Kumar, a resident of Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, said.
“Generally, we find jams at the border while coming home in the evening as police strict about checking IDs before letting us pass. On Tuesday, they have started similar checks in the morning as well. Many commuters were told to turn back,” Kumar said.
The Ghaziabad administration on Monday restricted movement between Delhi and Ghaziabad citing an increase in Covid-19 cases with links to Delhi, especially since the beginning of May.
Vehicles engaged in essential services have been allowed to move without any restrictions while doctors, paramedics, police and bank employees will be asked to produce their identification cards.
Likewise, media persons and lawyers can also cross the borders after showing their identity cards. However, employees of private firms with offices in Delhi will have to apply for passes.
The order also states that commuters are advised to leave Ghaziabad maximum by 9am and return only after 6pm. Officials said those wanting to travel to Delhi can apply for passes at http://164.100.68.164/upepass2/.
Officials said Monday’s direction was an extension of the May 18 lockdown 4.0 guidelines issued by the Uttar Pradesh government. Under the May 18 directions of chief secretary RK Tiwari, commuters from Delhi, other than those from hotspots, were allowed to travel to the National Capital Region (NCR) areas of Noida and Ghaziabad and the district administration was asked to issue detailed directions in this regard.
