Commuters take long detours to reach Manesar, Gurugram

Hundreds of commuters who were on their way to Manesar, Gururgam and further towards Delhi on Tuesday were in for a tough time as they were forced to take a 40-kilometre detour through Jamalpur, via Sector 10, which connects Hero Honda Chowk to the National Highway-48, due to the farmers’ tractor rally.

Families, with toddlers in one hand and trolley bags and suitcases in the other, were seen crossing the borders on foot as autorickshaws they had boarded were not allowed beyond Sehrawan in Manesar on Tuesday.

Borders witnessed chaotic scenes with people trying to cross the barricades with heavy luggage. People from Gurugram and Delhi booked cabs at the Manesar border and walked on the service lanes to boarded their cars after crossing the border near the National Security Guard (NSG) campus gate.

More than 250 people returning from Rajasthan were in for a shock as the bus they were travelling in dropped them at Jaisinghpur Khera, located near Shahjahanpur in Alwar district, 55 kilometres away from Sehrawan in Manesar.

Naveen Gope, a Delhi resident who was returning after a three-day trip to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan with his family and friends, said they were dismayed upon finding out that they had to travel 55 kilometres on foot. “Luckily, we saw an autorickshaw driver and requested to drop us at a point where we could find transport. He dropped us at Dharuhera, where we had to wait for an hour to get another transport. We had to change five vehicles to reach Sehrawan,” he said.

Commuters said that autorickshaw drivers, sensing an opportunity to make a quick buck, charged them high fares. Some were charged as much as ₹600 for a drop to the border, a trip which usually costs ₹100, where they could board a bus.

A Delhi resident, who was returning from a trip from Udaipur with his friends, said they walked from Shahjahanpur to Manesar. Eight persons, carrying bags on their shoulders, walked 55 kilometres with short breaks and had community lunches offered by the protesters on the route.

“Thankfully, we were not carrying much luggage, else we would have been in trouble. We could not find any transport to reach Gurugram where our other friends were waiting since the morning to pick us. Never in our lives have we walked so many kilometres at a stretch. Had we known about these restrictions, we would have returned a day later,” said Simrat Singh, a final-year student of Delhi University.

Many families who were travelling from Panchgaon were asked to take the Sohna route to reach Gururgam. They had to travel two extra hours to cover a stretch of 16 kilometres.

Hitesh Yadav, the assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said that the routes were already announced and the borders were sealed on Tuesday morning due to the farmers’ tractor rally. “Commuters were informed at other checkpoints as well not to enter Manesar, as both the carriageways were blocked. Still, many came to check the situation physically. Many commuters, who had arranged for vehicles in Manesar area, were allowed to cross the stretch on foot. Despite knowing the situation, people did not refrain from moving on this stretch,” he said.