10 days and counting: Blockades cripple traffic near Ashram Chowk

Road from Kalindi Kunj bridge to Mathura Road shut since December 15 in view of the anti-CAA protests, choking all arterial and tributary roads in the area. Police say they don’t know how long the traffic jams will persist

Mathura Road near Ashram Chowk and the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway have been plagued by heavy (often bumper-to-bumper) traffic for the last 10 days as the road linking Noida to Sarita Vihar via Kalindi Kunj has been blocked by the police over the anti- Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in the area. What has further aggravated the problem is that parts of Mathura Road are dug up for the construction of an underpass.

A view of heavy traffic congestion seen moving towards to Ashram flyover, in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 24, 2019. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

The carriageways to and from the Kalindi Kunj bridge to Mathura Road remained shut for the 10th straight day on Tuesday, choking all arterial and tributary roads in south and south-east Delhi. Commuters, forced to take the DND flyway or even the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (NH24) via the Ashram intersection, have been facing a harrowing time. Some commuters said it is taking them up to two hours to go from south Delhi to Noida during peak traffic.

Owing to protests against the CAA in and around Jamia Millia Islamia, the police completely stopped the traffic flow on the Kalindi Kunj-Sarita Vihar/Jasola stretch (also known as Road No. 13A) from December 15.

Police said they could not tell how long the traffic jams will persist, or when relief is likely; no directions have been issued to open the shut road so far.

“Commuters travelling between south-east Delhi and Noida are required to use the DND or the NH24 via Akshardham, instead of the Kalindi Kunj bridge. A call on when the stretch will be reopened will be taken by the local police based on the law and order situation prevalent there,” said Taj Hassan, special commissioner of police (traffic).

A senior police officer in the southern range said the road closures will be lifted only when the situation in the area “normalises”.

“The local religious leaders and volunteers in the area are in talks with the protesters. The road will be open as soon as there’s a breakthrough in talks. Till then, it is to remain closed,” said Devesh Chandra Srivastava, joint CP (southern range).

According to traffic police estimates, Ashram Chowk is used by around 300,00 vehicles on average every day. With the Kalindi Kunj road closure, an additional 100,000 are flowing through the intersection.

Apart from the temporary road closures, traffic has also been affected because a part of Mathura Road is dug up to for the construction of an underpass, which is expected to ease the congestion at Ashram Chowk, Mathura road and the adjoining arteries by connecting Nizamuddin to New Friends Colony.

The underpass is expected to be completed by July 2020.

At the moment, the excessive spillover of traffic on Ring Road, New Friends Colony, Nizamuddin area, Sarai Kale Khan, Sriniwaspuri, parts of Lajpat Nagar, Nehru Nagar and other areas.

“My pregnant wife had a check-up and was stuck for more than two hours. At Ashram Chowk, despite knowing that the stretch is witnessing extra traffic because of the road closure, there were no traffic personnel deployed to manage the chaos. The situation at the intersection has worsened because of barricades that have been put up, leaving only half the carriageway open for vehicle movement,” said Saurabh Tyagi, who was travelling from Nizamuddin on Tuesday. Several commuters also vented out their frustration on social media.

Officials deployed at the traffic police control room said they have witnessed a huge spike in the number of calls from motorists enquiring when the stretch will be opened.

Experts said the traffic police and the city administration must draft standard operating procedures (SOPs) for such crisis when road blockages are inevitable.

Subhash Chand, head of traffic engineering and safety division, Central Road Research Institute, said the police should allow regulated passage of vehicles on the Kalindi Kunj-Sarita Vihar route. “At least during peak office hours, the road can be kept open. Also mini trucks, movement of which is allowed even during day time, can be regulated on the choked stretches,” he said.

“In the long-term, technological interventions, which are possible by collaborating with organizations such as Google that have huge data sets, can be applied to draft standard operating procedures and execute them,” Chand added.