Traffic is likely to be disrupted on the outskirts of Delhi on the 43rd day of farmers’ agitation as the protesters plan to carry out a tractor march on Thursday, converging on the eastern and western peripheral expressways that form a ring around the national Capital. This is likely to affect commuters on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal highway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the National Highway-9.
The tractor march comes a day ahead of another round of talks with the government over farmers’ demand for repeal of the three farm laws passed by Centre in September. Last week, agitating farmers had announced that Thursday’s tractor march would be a ‘rehearsal’ of their march on Rajpath on January 26, Republic Day.
Shalini Singh, joint commissioner of police (western range), said that since the march is not scheduled to enter Delhi, the police arrangement would remain as before but traffic on the outskirts is likely to be affected.
Police in Gautam Buddh Nagar said they will enforce diversions on the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal or Eastern Peripheral Expressway. “In view of this, vehicles will not be allowed to get on the eastern peripheral expressway from Beel Akbarpur and Sirsa cut towards Palwal from 12pm to 3pm. Similarly, vehicles won’t be allowed on the expressway from Sirsa cut and Beel Akbarpur towards Sonipat from 2pm to 5pm and will be diverted,” police said in a statement.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials also said the tractor march will affect traffic on both eastern and western peripheral expressways. “Tractors are not allowed on eastern periphery expressway and there will be traffic disruption if they carry out a march. We will speak to the district officials about the issue,” said Mudit Garg, project director of NHAI.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh continue to remain closed at several points on Thursday due to the ongoing agitation. The Capital’s borders with Uttar Pradesh at Chilla and Ghazipur have remained closed for those coming from Noida and Ghaziabad while the opposite carriageway remains open.
For those coming into Delhi from Uttar Pradesh, the traffic police advised them to take routes passing through Anand Vihar, DND, Loni DND and Apsara borders which have remained mostly unaffected.
For borders between Delhi and Haryana, the routes passing through Singhu, Tikri, Auchandi, Piau Manyari, Saboli, and Mangesh continue to remain closed.
Jhatikara border is open for light vehicles and pedestrians while only a single carriageway of the Jharoda border is open for traffic.The traffic police said that they have been diverting traffic from Mukarba and GTK Road. Motorists who need to travel between Delhi and Haryana can choose other border routes such as the Daurala, Kapashera, Badusarai, Rajokri NH-8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera.
