Farmers' agitation: Normal vehicular movement in Delhi ahead of chakka jam

The vehicular movement in the national capital has been normal but slower on Saturday at border points, where the police have intensified checking of vehicles because of the nationwide traffic blockade call given by farm unions between 12 pm and 3 pm, the Delhi traffic police said. Security arrangements have been enhanced even as no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the city.

Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur border points, where thousands of farmers have been camping against the three farm laws for 73 days, continue to remain closed. The traffic between Delhi-Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-Haryana was being diverted to the alternate routes. The other border points closed because of the farmers' agitation are Piau Maniyari, Saboli, and Auchandi, all connecting Delhi with Haryana.

Lampur, Safiabad, Singhu School, and Palla border points are open for traffic between Delhi and Haryana. The traffic police have advised motorists to avoid Outer Ring Road, GT Karnal Road, and NH-44 to avoid traffic congestion.

All the six carriageways of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9 and NH-24 are blocked at the Ghazipur-Ghaziabad border. Motorists coming from Ghaziabad are entering Delhi through alternate border points such as Anand Vihar, EDM Mall, Surya Nagar, Apsara, Bhopra, Loni, Kondli, and through Noida where they are being diverted to DND, Chilla, New Ashok Nagar, and Dallupura.

"Traffic is normal across the city and we have so far not received any call regarding traffic jams from anywhere in the city," an official from the traffic police control room said at 10.30 am.

Farmer leaders have announced that there will be no blockade, or chakka jam, in Delhi and the protesting farmers will not enter the city. But around 50,000 traffic and security personnel, including those from the paramilitary forces, have been deployed. The police are also using drone cameras for aerial surveillance.

One of the groups from the Ghazipur protest site deviated from their agreed-upon route during the January 26 tractor rally, reached ITO and ran riot there. Another group from Singhu border stormed the Red Fort, where one of the protesters climbed a flag post and hoisted the Nishan Sahib, the flag of the Sikhs. A violent clash followed as policemen tried to disperse the protesters.

The farmer protest sites at Singhu, Tikri, and Ghazipur borders are being heavily patrolled ahead of the three-hour-long chakka jam called to intensify the protest against the farm laws.

The Delhi Police on Friday reiterated that no permission has been granted to protesters for holding the chakka jam or any other demonstration in the city and legal action will be taken against those found disrupting the city’s traffic and law and order.

The protest sites are under multi-layered barricading with barbed wiring on top, concrete walls, trenches, nails boards drilled onto roads, and netting to stop pelted stones.

These measures, the police said, were to keep the farmers from entering the national capital on Saturday.

The police were also monitoring content on social media to keep a watch on those spreading rumours or instigating people against the government and the police.