Peak-hour traffic snarls continue as Noida Police monitors both entry and exit of vehicles

Commuters travelling between Noida and Delhi continued to face traffic congestion during peak hours on Monday as the district police started monitoring both exit

Commuters travelling between Noida and Delhi continued to face traffic congestion during peak hours on Monday as the district police started monitoring both exit and entry of vehicles from and to the city.

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Noida Police from Saturday had started checking both entry and exit points to the city to better regulate the flow of the traffic and prevent the entry of those who do not have the necessary permission to travel. However, several commuters complained of traffic congestion, especially between 9.30am to 11am and 5pm to 7pm.

“It took me more than two hours to travel from Noida to Daryaganj via DND flyway. We started around 10am and reached our destination at around 12.30 pm. Earlier, there used to be checking by Noida Police while entering the city. Now they are monitoring even while exiting the city,” said Rishi Oswal, a resident of Delhi, who owns a showroom in Sector 18 in Noida.

Gautam Budh Nagar had sealed its border with Delhi in early April to avoid the spread of Covid-19 in the city. According to the data released by the district health department on June 1, at least 42% of the cases in the district have been traced to sources in Delhi. As such, the district administration continues to maintain status quo on the issues of sealing of borders with Delhi. In an order passed on May 31, the district administration had clarified that the border will continue to remain sealed until further orders.

Delhi, on the other hand, had not initially sealed its border. However, on June 2, the national Capital closed its border, only to remove restrictions within a week.

Police officials claimed that the traffic volume has been lower ever since the monitoring of vehicles has started. “There was slightly less traffic on Monday. People who did not have the requisite passes or were not essential services providers were asked to turn around. This has helped to ease the traffic entering Noida. The movement of the traffic only slowed down during the peak hours. We are, however, unable to comment on how long will the sealing of the border with Delhi continue,” said Sankalp Sharma, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-1.

Some commuters, however, welcomed the decision of monitoring vehicles on both sides, given the rising number of cases in Noida.“The border should continue to remain sealed. The number of Covid-19 cases in Noida is relatively lower compared to Delhi. If interstate movement is stopped, the situation will be easier to handle,” said NP Singh, a resident of Noida.