Traffic moved at snail’s pace at several border points of the national capital as police kept key routes connecting Delhi to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh closed in view of the farmers’ protest against the new farm laws, which entered its ninth day on Friday.
Groups of farmers from Uttar Pradesh on Thursday had blocked another important national highway — NH-24 — that connects Delhi to Ghaziabad, leaving those travelling from there to the capital city stranded.
“Traffic Alert Singhu, Auchandi, Safiabad, Piao Maniyari, and Saboli borders are closed. NH 44 is closed.Pl take alternate routes via Lampur, NH8/Bhopra /Apsara border /Peripheral expressway,” tweeted the Delhi Traffic Police.
Traffic Alert
Singhu, Auchandi, Safiabad, Piao Maniyari, and Saboli borders are closed. NH 44 is https://t.co/NxRk8HLWWi take alternate routes via Lampur, NH8/Bhopra /Apsara border /Peripheral expressway.
— Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) December 4, 2020
It also tweeted, “Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba & GTK road. Avoid Outer Ring Rd , GTK road, NH 44 COVID PRECAUTIONS WEAR MASK, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, KEEP HAND HYGIENE”
“Traffic Alert Tikri, Jharoda Borders are closed for any Traffic Movement. Badusarai Border is open only for Light Motor Vehicle like Cars and two wheelers. Jhatikara Border is open only for two wheeler traffic Available Open Borders to Haryana are following Borders,” it added.
It informed, “Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera Borders COVID PRECAUTIONS WEAR MASK, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, KEEP HAND HYGIENE.”
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday seeking direction to the authorities to immediately remove farmers, who are protesting at several Delhi border points against the new farm laws, saying commuters are facing hardships due to the road blockades and the gatherings might lead to increase in COVID-19 cases.
“The Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border on NH-24 at Gazipur remains closed for traffic from Ghaziabad to Delhi on Friday, too,” a traffic police official said. The Delhi Traffic Police tweeted, “People are advised to avoid NH-24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/ Bhopra/DND instead.”
The Chilla border on the Noida Link road also remained shut for the fourth day on the trot for traffic coming from Noida to Delhi due to the farmers’ protest near Gautam Budh Dwar. The traffic police suggested people to avoid the Noida Link road for coming to Delhi and use the DND flyway instead.
As farmers remained unyielding on their demand for scrapping the new farm laws, the police kept the Delhi-Haryana border at Singhu, Tikri, Jharoda Lampur, Auchandi, Safiabad, Piao Maniyari, and Saboli closed for traffic movement. It said border points at Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri, NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera are open for travel between Delhi and Haryana.
“Badusarai border is open only for light motor vehicles like cars and two wheelers. Jhatikara border is open only for two wheeler traffic,” it tweeted.
The closure of borders led to diversion of traffic from Mukarba and GT-Karnal road that led to traffic jams on alternative routes. Scaling up their stir against the Centre’s new farm laws, thousands of protesting farmers from Uttar Pradesh had blocked NH-9 near the UP Gate on Thursday while those from Punjab and Haryana stayed put at other border points leading to the national capital as they remained adamant on their demands.
The protesting farmers had on Wednesday threatened to block other roads of Delhi in the coming days if the new agriculture laws are not scrapped soon. Security personnel at border points – Singhu, Tikri, Chilla and Ghazipur – stand guard, with the ongoing protests entering their ninth day on Friday.
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The demonstrations are expected to continue as talks between three union ministers and a representative group of thousands of agitating farmers failed to yield any resolution on Thursday. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Naresh Tikait held a ‘maha panchayat’ at one of the protest sites — Gazipur border. He said there was no midway for settlement on the issue of minimum support price and added that the government must give assurance in writing to farmers.
