Delhi-Meerut Expressway carriageway reserved for kanwariyas till July 24

Traffic from Meerut will be diverted to National Highway-9, while restrictions on heavy vehicles along the three Kanwar routes will remain in place

The Ghaziabad traffic police will shut down the Meerut to Delhi carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) starting at 10pm on Saturday and will reserve the lane exclusively for the Kanwariyas returning from Uttarakhand.

Officials said the arrangement will remain in place until the Kanwar Yatra concludes. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“The Meerut to Delhi carriageway of the DME will be reserved for Kanwariyas from 10pm on Saturday, while the Delhi-Meerut carriageway will only allow light vehicles like cars and two-wheelers. Heavy vehicles will remain barred during this diversion,” said Sacchidanand, additional DCP (traffic).

Officials said the arrangement will remain in place until the Kanwar Yatra concludes, likely on July 23 or 24, citing the expected surge of Dak Kanwars arriving in Ghaziabad in the coming days.

Officials said traffic from Meerut will be diverted to National Highway-9, while restrictions on heavy vehicles along the three Kanwar routes, announced on July 11, will remain in place.

In Ghaziabad, the Kanwar route covers 25km from Muradnagar to Tila Morh and 42.5km from the Kadrabad border to the Delhi-Ghaziabad border, along with an auxiliary stretch of about 53km on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and NH-9.

As part of these restrictions, heavy vehicles are permitted to enter NH-9 from UP Gate and then proceed to their destinations via the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

“The traffic restrictions on the Delhi-Meerut Road will remain in place as announced. The Meerut to Ghaziabad carriageway is reserved exclusively for Kanwariyas, while the Ghaziabad to Meerut carriageway will handle regular two-way traffic between the two cities. Additionally, 12 traffic pressure points have been identified, where extra personnel and teams have been deployed for smooth movement,” the ADCP said.

The 12 identified pressure points include Raj Chopla in Modinagar, Ganga Canal T-point, ALT Crossing, Ghookhna Morh, Meerut tri-crossing, New Link Road cut, U-turn near Hindon Metro station, Hindon-Kanwani cut, and Mohan Nagar, among others, officials said.

“At these pressure points, where vehicular traffic intersects with Kanwariya movement, regular traffic will be temporarily halted to allow Kanwariyas to pass safely,” officials said, adding that normal traffic will resume immediately after their passage.