Commuters urge cops to open up more lanes to ease traffic at borders

The chaos of the last few days at the Noida-Delhi borders eased slightly on Friday as traffic volume reduced, but commuters said opening up more lanes would be the

The chaos of the last few days at the Noida-Delhi borders eased slightly on Friday as traffic volume reduced, but commuters said opening up more lanes would be the only permanent way to kill the snarls.

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Noida has sealed its border with Delhi in April and despite the relaxations announced by the Union home ministry on interstate travel, Gautam Budh Nagar continues to keep its borders sealed in an effort to reduce the number of Covid-19 cases within the district. On June 1, Delhi also sealed its borders with all neighbouring states for a period of one week.

This worsened the situation at the border points, as commuters had to face hour-long snarls on both sides specially during rush hour.

“The situation has slightly eased, but congestion still persists on both sides. Traffic is moving slowly because of the police checking IDs and passes of the commuters. Only one lane is functional on the DND Flyway at present, and opening more lane will further help ease congestion,” Rishi Oswal, a Delhi resident who commutes to Noida for business, said.

Currently, both states allow only those involved in essential services and those with administration-issued passes to cross the state lines.

“Police are keeping only one lane open specifically to turn around vehicles that don’t have a valid pass. Traffic chaos depends on the time of travel. Traffic is heavy during peak hours, but during the rest of the day, it remains comparatively easy,” Anita Singh, a Greater Noida West resident who travels to Delhi daily, said.

Before Delhi had sealed the borders, commuters coming in to Noida would face longer snarls, while it was easier for those going to Delhi.

“Entering in Delhi is still easier despite only one functional lane. Noida side has more lanes open but it is slow moving. Crossing the DND Flyway often takes more than 30 minutes. If they open up more lanes that would further ease the situation. Officials could also have specific lanes for emergency vehicles,” Anit Arora, a daily commuter from Sector 50, said.

Police insist that depending on the traffic volume, they do open more lanes.

“The traffic volume has drastically reduced this week but there is still the peak-hour congestion. And whenever there is congestion, we open up more lanes to ease the flow. But we can’t open all lanes until the border is de-sealed,” deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, Sankalp Sharma said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday, while hearing a petition, had directed the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments to resolve the border chaos within a week.