Kanwar Yatra: Sawan begins today, Delhi-Meerut Expressway closed for these vehicles | Check traffic advisory

The Kanwar Yatra begins with several traffic restrictions and route diversions imposed by the Uttar Pradesh Police to ensure a smooth procession

The Uttar Pradesh Police has issued an traffic advisory announcing the closure of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) for heavy vehicles due to the Kanwar Yatra starting on Monday, July 22. Vehicles will be diverted to alternative routes until 8pm on August 5. According to Drik Panchang, Sawan begins on July 22 and ends on August 19 this year. This means Sawan will be observed for 29 days, during which there will be five Mondays.

Devotees carrying holy water collected from River Ganga in Haridwar going back to their home during the Kanwar Yatra at National Highway-48 in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Traffic restrictions will extend to all vehicles, including private cars, from July 29.

Route diversions

The Delhi -Meerut expressway sees people travelling from Noida, Delhi and Ghaziabad typically.

The vehicles traveling from Delhi via Tulsi Niketan, Seemapuri, and Anand Vihar to Ghaziabad will be re-directed along Chaudhary Charan Singh Marg towards UP Gate, and then will have to follow NH-9.

For Haridwar, Amroha, Moradabad, and Lucknow, vehicles will use UP Gate, NH-9, the Dasna Intersection, and then follow the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

Vehicles from Baghpat which are moving towards Delhi will be re-directed through either Tronica City or Sonia Vihar. Meanwhile, vehicles from Hapur and Bulandshahr going towards Ghaziabad city via the Dasna railway overbridge will be rerouted to NH-9.

Vehicles along the Loni border will also be restricted as well as those going from the Santosh Medical cut on NH-9 towards Meerut Tiraha.

Heavy vehicles will not be allowed entry from Gaur Green, Khoda, Kalapatthar, Sector 62, Chhijarasi, and Kanavani to Indirapuram via NH-9. Trucks will not be allowed on Gangnahar Patri Kanwad Road, Pipeline Road, NH-34 (formerly NH-58), and the Delhi-Meerut expressway.

Vehicles will be re-routed for those coming from Hapur via Bhojpur towards Modinagar. Vehicles coming from the Vasundhara flyover towards Mohannagar will also be halted.

The Uttar Pradesh police has also announced that pilgrim groups will not be allowed to set up their camps along the NH-9 or DME. These camps will only be allowed on traditional routes with police permission and not on main roads.

So far, the police have approved 116 out of 214 applications for building kanwar camps.

The Kanwar Yatra is supposed to attract 15-20 lakh devotees this year, and will end on August 2.