Shaheen Bagh protest: Hundreds of south Delhi residents on road to demand opening of Kalindi Kunj stretch

NEW DELHi: Sunday was witness to a protest against a protest: agitated with the closure of the road connecting Kalindi Kunj to Noida, hundreds of residents of Shaheen Bagh and Sarita Vihar staged a demonstration, demanding that the barricades be removed and the stretch opened.
The residents, seeking immediate police action, said office-goers and schoolchildren were facing the brunt of the closure.The agitators had decided to block Mathura Road, but after an assurance from senior police officers, they agreed to a meeting with the Shaheen Bagh protesters on Monday to find a solution.
The average travel time between Noida and south Delhi has more than doubled after the closure of Road No. 13A due to anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protesters occupying it. According to an estimate, Mathura Road and Ring Road are currently bearing vehicular volume almost four times their capacity.
Traffic police said that vehicles from south Delhi destined for Noida were being diverted to Mathura Road to reach Ashram and, then, to DND Flyway. Police are forced to manually control the traffic signals to prevent chaos. Even those taking the Barapullah elevated road are finding that there is no easy way out.
The stretch gets choked at peak hours, and insiders say that a 50% increase in the number of vehicles plying between Delhi and Noida is creating big jams there.
Sunday’s march was carried out from Madanpur Khadar to Sarita Vihar. Residents of Noida, whose children study in schools in and around Sarita Vihar, also joined in. The protesters also raised slogans against chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and local MLA Amanatullah Khan.
The residents started gathering in large numbers around 11am to block Mathura Road. Aware of their plans, police had erected barricades to ensure that traffic movement wasn’t blocked.
It’s been 28 days since residents of Shaheen Bagh have occupied both carriageways of Road No. 13 in protest against CAA and NRC. Ravi Yadav, a resident of Noida Sector 18, who had joined Sunday’s protest, said: “My son studies in a school in Sarita Vihar. He hasn’t been able to attend classes for two weeks now. My wife and I are both working, but as our son is at home, one of us has to take leave.” Yadav said the school was not plying a bus on the route because of the protests.
The residents finally squatted at Maharaja Agrasen Marg near Sarita Vihar A Block. “Delhi Police humara rasta kholo, hum tumhare saath hain” (Delhi Police open the road, we are with you),” they shouted.
Luvkesh Gautam, a Delhi University student, claimed: “Some days ago, an ambulance was stuck at Madanpur Khadar. We had to intervene and make way for it. The delay could have cost a person’s life.”
“The convenience of the common man should be kept in mind too. If they don’t get up, we can also block some other road (in protest). Police have assured us that they will try to find a way out. If nothing happens in the next 72 hours, we will have to do something,” said Dhir Singh Bhaduri, a former MLA who was among the organisers of Sunday’s march.
With the exam season approaching, parents said they were worried about the situation.