Entry of heavy vehicles towards Faridabad to be regulated

According to the traffic police, at least 70,000-80,000 people attend the mela daily due to which there is heavy congestion on stretches such as the Pali Road, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road

The Gurugram traffic police said that from March 19 till April 4, heavy vehicles will be allowed to enter Faridabad only for seven hours every day to reduce congestion and manage traffic during the Surajkund International Crafts Mela, which began on Saturday after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 35th edition of the fair will be held till April 4.

Heavy vehicles being denied entry in Faridabad district on account of the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela. (Parveen Kumar/HT photo)

“Thousands of commuters travel to attend the Surajkund mela, due to which there is heavy congestion in Faridabad. Hence, for better traffic management, we decided to restrict the movement of heavy vehicles into the city from Gurugram. Heavy vehicles can only enter Faridabad between midnight and 7am till April 4,” said DCP (traffic) Ravinder Singh Tomar.

Tomar said that checkpoints will be set up before the Gurugram-Faridabad toll plaza on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, and at Lakhuwas in Sohna, located on the Ballabgarh-Sohna Road. Usually, during peak traffic hours--8am-10am and 5pm-10.30pm--heavy vehicles are barred entry into Gurugram.

Tomar added that heavy vehicles heading towards Noida and other parts of Uttar Pradesh will be diverted from Palwal or Delhi.

According to the traffic police, at least 70,000-80,000 people attend the mela daily due to which there is heavy congestion on stretches such as the Pali Road, Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, and Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road.

Traffic congestion is a major issue during the mela every year. On February 7, 2016, there was a massive traffic jam on the second day of the mela, resulting in nearly a four-kilometre-long snarl stretching from the venue all the way to Anangpur Chowk in Faridabad. On February 9, 2019, and February 9, 2014, a similar scenario had prevailed. All three days fell on a weekend.