48-hour zero traffic: Amroha national highway reserved for Kanwar Yatra

Amroha Police implement a 48-hour "Zero Traffic" plan on NH 9 for Kanwariyas, banning all vehicles to ensure smooth and safe pilgrimage movement.

The Amroha Police have announced a comprehensive 48-hour “Zero Traffic” plan on the national highway (NH 9) to facilitate the smooth movement of Kanwariyas during the second Monday of Sawan and Shivratri.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

The restrictions will remain in force from noon on Sunday until noon on Tuesday, during which all vehicular movement, including heavy commercial vehicles and private four-wheelers, will be completely prohibited on the highway.

The move comes in response to the sharp increase in the number of Kanwariyas travelling through the district, with authorities reserving both carriageways of the highway exclusively for the annual pilgrimage. Police said the measure is aimed at ensuring the safety of lakhs of Shiva devotees and preventing disruptions along one of the busiest pilgrimage routes in western Uttar Pradesh.

Until now, the Delhi-to-Moradabad carriageway had been earmarked exclusively for Kanwar pilgrims, while the Moradabad-to-Delhi carriageway continued to allow one-way movement of small vehicles. However, from Sunday afternoon, that arrangement has been withdrawn. Both lanes of the highway will now be dedicated solely to Kanwar Yatra traffic, with no entry permitted for any category of regular vehicles.

Additional superintendent of police Akhilesh Bhadauria said the decision was taken after a significant rise in the number of Kanwar pilgrims ahead of the second Monday of Sawan and Shivratri. Devotees from Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Badaun, Pilibhit and several other districts are travelling to Brijghat to collect Ganga water, while thousands of Shiva devotees are also returning from Haridwar with sacred water to their respective destinations.

To ensure strict enforcement of the traffic plan, joint teams from the district police and the traffic department have been deployed at key intersections, diversion points and other sensitive locations along the highway. Senior officers have been directed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance and respond immediately to any emergency or traffic-related contingency.