Farmers’ protest: UP Gate shut tight, Ghaziabad police ask commuters to other borders routes to enter Delhi

The commuters, meanwhile, on Monday said they have already started facing major snarls on National Highway 9 (NH-9) as a result of the Delhi Police putting up barricades on two major points of the highway

Keeping in mind the fact that the last time farmers marched to Delhi in 2020, it had resulted in widespread tensions and violence, the Ghaziabad traffic police on Monday issued an advisory urging commuters to avoid use of the UP Gate border with east Delhi on Tuesday (February 13), when farmers from Punjab and Haryana are again scheduled to march to Delhi, seeking action on their multiple demands.

Delhi Police get workers to build concrete barriers on the road at UP Gate, near Ghazipur, on Monday, to deter the farmers from marching into Delhi on Tuesday. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The commuters, meanwhile, on Monday said they have already started facing major snarls on National Highway 9 (NH-9) as a result of the Delhi Police putting up barricades on two major points of the highway.

Delhi Police has stepped up security measures at Singhu, Ghazipur (UP Gate border), and Tikri border points, which were the three main venues of the year-long farmers’ agitation in 2020-21. Anticipating a similar blockade by farmers this time as well, police have drilled nails onto the road stretches, besides putting up heavy barricading to deter farmer vehicles from entering the national capital.

Additionally, cranes and earthmovers are being employed to place large containers on the roads to obstruct passage.

The officials of the Ghaziabad traffic police said the NH-9 carriageway from Ghaziabad to east Delhi, and the opposite side from Delhi to Kaushambi, are under barricades.

“As a result, there traffic was slow on Monday morning; we had to divert vehicle to nearby Anand Vihar border. There too, barricades have been put up but the entry of vehicles has not been banned. There, the traffic moved slowly. We urge commuters to use Anand Vihar, Surya Nagar, Gyani border, and Seemapuri border, to move to Delhi and avoid UP Gate on Tuesday,” said Virendra Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police, traffic.

The ADCP said they have deployed about 60 traffic police personnel to manage vehicles on Tuesday.

“On Monday morning, I started for my office Delhi and found NH-9 barricaded. Finally, I took the Delhi-Meerut Expressway to enter Delhi. While returning, I used the Anand Vihar border, but the traffic was moving slow. Tuesday, too, I will use either Anand Vihar or the Surya Nagar border to reach office,” said Kuldeep Saxena, a Shakti Khand resident in Indirapuram.

“I expect the burden will be huge on the Anand Vihar border on Tuesday as it is the nearest border point to UP Gate. Traffic movement may be slow and commuters may also enter Kaushambi’s internal lanes,” said Rachit Kumar, a commuter from Kaushambi.

At UP Gate, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway has 14 lanes. These include the outer four lanes of NH-9 on each side, and the inner three lanes of the expressway on each side.

The traffic police officials closure of DME and other roads may be taken up only on the basis of information from the Delhi Police late Monday evening.

Over 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, are holding a coordinated ”Delhi Chalo” march demanding that the Centre address their range of demands. These farmers, are likely to enter Delhi from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab on Tuesday, said police.