Schools, colleges shut for Kanwar Yatra till Aug 12 in Ghaziabad

Authorities closed educational institutions in Ghaziabad until August 12 due to Kanwariya movement, causing traffic chaos on the Delhi-Meerut Road.

Authorities on Monday directed the closure of all educational institutions till August 12 amid an influx of Kanwariyas heading towards the district on their way from Uttarakhand. As a result, the Ghaziabad stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Road was also shut down two days early to open up space for their movement, catching commuters by surprise and resulting in extensive traffic snarls on the route.

All schools, including CBSE and ICSE, degree and higher colleges will be shut between August 4-12, an official order issued by district inspector of schools (DIOS) BP Singh said. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

All schools, including CBSE and ICSE, degree and higher colleges will be shut between August 4-12, an official order issued by district inspector of schools (DIOS) BP Singh said.

“The decision is taken in the wake of Kanwar Yatra, which is underway, and there is high movement of Kanwariyas on various routes in Ghaziabad district. As a result, we have decided to shut all schools till class 12 and colleges,” Singh told HT.

The only exceptions would be for colleges, universities, or technical institutions that have already scheduled examinations during the period. “In the case of schools, they may take up the online mode of study as per their requirement,” the order said.

The Delhi-Meerut stretch, which was supposed to be shut from August 5, was closed on Monday morning after a huge surge in Kanwariyas heading towards Ghaziabad. It will also remain closed till August 12, a day after the Kanwar Yatra ends to allow for their return.

The closure resulted in traffic snarls for several hours over the day in which ambulances and other emergency vehicles were also caught.

“There was total chaos on the Delhi Meerut Road on Monday morning with commuters taken by surprise with the decision. Many people could not reach offices, and children could not reach schools in time. The decision was taken in the wake of the movement of Kanwariyas, but their numbers were negligible on Monday morning. I waited for about 40 minutes at the Raj Nagar Extension crossing to reach the district court, but there was a long traffic jam. So, I came back home,” said Vikrant Sharma, a resident of Raj Nagar Extension.

Himanshu Chauhan, a commuter from Muradnagar, said it took him an hour from Muradnagar to Duhai.

“I could not reach my office in Delhi in time. From Tuesday, I will not use my two-wheeler and instead take the train. There is no other option left for commuters,” Chauhan added.

The six-lane Delhi-Meerut Road(formerly NH-58) is a major connecting point between Ghaziabad and Meerut and further towards Uttarakhand. It is managed by the public works department and official estimates say around 120,000 passenger cars use the route every day. “The traffic issues will continue during the Kanwar diversion if both-way traffic uses only one carriageway. This is an annual feature during this time,” PWD executive engineer Ram Raja told HT.