Delhi Police checks trigger snarls at borders of NCR

GURUGRAM/NOIDA: Strict checks by Delhi Police in the wake of the proposed Agnipath protest at Jantar Mantar choked traffic at the borders with NCR cities for several hours on Monday morning.
The Sirhaul border in Gurugram was the worst-affected, with vehicles stuck in snarls for almost four hours till 11am. In Noida, commuters were stuck at Kalindi Kunj, on the DND Flyway and the Film City road leading to Mayur Vihar.
Traffic on the Gurugram-Delhi highway started to build up as early as 7am when Delhi Police put up barricades in Rajokri.The cops checked every vehicle for papers and ID cards and enquired if the occupants were headed for Jantar Mantar.
Caught in the snarl were mainly office-goers and those headed for the Delhi airport to catch flights. As vehicles crawled, the tailback stretched almost to the Airtel building beyond Shankar Chowk.
Pradeep Kumar, a resident of DLF Phase-2, remained seated in his car for almost two hours. “The highway was choked for hours. There was not an inch left unoccupied. Everyone reached their destination late,” said Kumar, who was on his way to office. While those on their way to offices or the airport were allowed to pass, those who said they wanted to go to Jantar Mantar were detained at Vasant Kunj police station.
Among them was Congress’s Sudhir Chaudhury and his supporters. “They were checking each and every vehicle. My car has a Congress flag, so it was easy to identify. When the cops enquired, I told them the truth. That I was on my way to join the protest planned at Jantar Mantar. We were then taken to the police station,” said Chaudhary.
Around 11am, the police lifted the barricades. After 20 minutes or so, the traffic towards Delhi picked up pace. Vehicles exiting Delhi, however, were not impacted. DCP (traffic) RS Tomar said they diverted vehicles to ease the jam somewhat. “We had commuters use alternative routes, like the Mehrauli-Gurugram road, Faridabad Road and KMP,” Tomar said. Traffic coming from the Jaipur side was diverted to the KMP through Panchgaon.
At three border points in Noida — Kalindi Kunj, DND Flyway and near Mayur Vihar in Delhi — traffic moved at snail’s pace between 7am and 1pm. In some places, the line of vehicles stretched 2km.
In Delhi, police teams were also stationed at important locations like the airport, bus terminals, railway stations, government offices and markets. Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa, DCP, said, “There is no Bharat bandh in Delhi. We are keeping an eye on antisocial elements. The borders aren’t closed but we are maintaining a strict vigil.”