Ghaziabad: Rain disrupts traffic at chokepoints, cops resort to diversions

The affected commuters were delayed due to the traffic on Lal Kuan, Chijarsi, Sector 62 crossing and near UP-Gate on NH-9, and traffic police’s diversions

Innumerable daily commuters in Ghaziabad faced severe traffic bottlenecks on Tuesday morning due to heavy rain that lashed the city. The downpour led to widespread waterlogging, causing long traffic snarls across several key areas. Ghaziabad traffic police said they had to bring in water-flushing pumps from the municipal corporation to clear specific choke points, which they noted require infrastructure improvements to prevent future disruptions. 

Heavy traffic jam seen on NH-9 stretch from Vijaynagar to Chhajarsi after rains in Ghaziabad on Tuesday. (Sakib Ali/HT)

According to officers, one of the worst-hit areas was the UP-Gate crossing near Ghazipur in east Delhi, where traffic coming from the Hindon elevated road towards Delhi became stuck due to waterlogging at the low-lying descent. Many commuters also experienced heavy traffic snarls on their way towards the Sector 62 intersection from National Highway (NH)-9, with significant jams reported at Lal Kuan, Chijarsi crossing, and Mohan Nagar. 

“The Lal Kuan intersection chokes with traffic whenever it rains heavily. It witnesses waterlogging and vehicles getting stuck up. I was travelling from Dadri to Ghaziabad, and it took me about 1.45 hours to cross the Lal Kuan intersection,” said Alka Singh, a resident of Dadri. 

Most of the affected commuters were office-goers who were delayed due to the traffic issues on Lal Kuan, Chijarsi, Sector 62 crossing and near UP-Gate on NH-9, and the diversions implemented by traffic police. “The jams at UP-Gate were heavy and due to waterlogging. It is a low-lying area and often witnesses waterlogging during rain. Vehicles got stuck up, and office-goers got late for work after the holiday,” said Kuldeep Saxena, a resident of Indirapuram. 

Piyush Kumar Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police (traffic), explained that due to waterlogging at the UP-Gate, the endpoint of the Hindon elevated road, they had to deploy four pumps to flush out the water. “It is a low-lying area, and an overflowing drain nearby also causes waterlogging. As a result, we had to divert traffic from the Hindon elevated road towards Kanawani, Indirapuram, and on to the CISF Road, which leads to Noida and also to NH-9 through an underpass. This added more volume to existing traffic on NH-9,” Singh said. 

Singh further noted that the traffic at the starting point of the Hindon elevated road at Karhera was also diverted towards Mohan Nagar due to the issues faced at the UP-Gate. Additionally, the underpass near Indirapuram was waterlogged, further slowing movement towards Noida. 

The ADCP also pointed out that NH-9 is a four-lane road from Ghaziabad towards Delhi, but the roads moving towards Noida at Sector 62 and Chijarsi are only two-laned, which cannot accommodate the four-lanes of traffic from NH-9, creating frequent bottlenecks. “This creates traffic bottlenecks and needs infrastructure changes. Such changes are also needed at UP-Gate,” Singh added.