No Kanwar camps allowed on NH-9, Delhi Meerut Expressway
The permission for setting up camps will be provided by assistant commissioner of police (ACPs) in their respective areas
Ghaziabad: The stretches of Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) will not be allowed for movement of Kanwariyas during the upcoming Kanwar season, and no Kanwar camps will be permitted on the National Highway 9 (NH-9) or Delhi Meerut Expressway, officers said on Thursday.
The annual Kanwar pilgrimage is all set to commence from July 22 and four major roads, including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, have been identified as routes for thousands of Kanwariyas to take while returning from Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Ghaziabad administration, officials said.
The Kanwar Yatra is carried out during the Shravan month as per Hindu almanac. Thousands of pilgrims move towards Haridwar to fetch Ganga water and return to their hometowns, where they offer the water to Lord Shiva at prominent temples.
Most Kanwariyas return by foot, on motorbikes/bicycles, cars and trucks. Since most of them pass through Ghaziabad on their way back to Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, it is customary for the district to put up travel restrictions for 10-12 days for a smooth traffic flow, said officials.
“The Ghaziabad police have decided that the Kanwar camps will be allowed only on traditional routes and not on other roads. The permission for setting up of such camps will be given by police. Further, the EPE stretch will not be used for movement of Kanwariyas and this will remain open for regular commuters,” said Dinesh Kumar P, additional police commissioner (Ghaziabad).
Each year, about 150-200 Kanwar camps are permitted to be set up on Kanwar routes by the district administration. The majority of such camps come up on the Delhi Meerut Road which bears a major burden of movement of Kanwariyas.
The permission for setting up camps will be provided by assistant commissioner of police (ACPs) in their respective areas, officers informed.
Ghaziabad district magistrate, Indra Vikram Singh, on Tuesday said that the movement of Kanwariyas will be made through four major routes – a 55km route of the Delhi Meerut Expressway; another 30km route from Chhajarsi toll plaza on NH-9 to Sector 62, Noida; 35km route from Jani border (Meerut-Ghaziabad border) towards Tila Morh near Loni; and a 45km route from Kadrabad (Ghaziabad-Meerut) border towards Delhi via Delhi-Meerut Road.
“No camps will be allowed near NH9 or DME. There will be over 30 ambulances deployed on Kanwar routes. Three control rooms and one control room for traffic will be put in place for better coordination and communication. The diversion routes are being chalked out and will be rolled out soon by the traffic police,” Dinesh Kumar added.
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