Around two months after farmers protesting against the three farm laws left the National capital, the barricades made to stop demonstrators from entering are still lying there resulting in heavy traffic snarls and bottlenecks.
Commuters, particularly those travelling from Noida and Greater Noida to Shaheen Bagh, Badarpur, and other sections of Delhi, complained of being stuck in traffic for hours every day.
“When the farmers' protest in Delhi began in 2020, the barriers were put up. However, the protest is now over, farmers have left, and the central government also scrapped the farm bill. Then, why aren't the Delhi Police dismantling these barricades? Vehicle movement is smooth till Rela Pul near Kalindi Kunj, where a traffic snarl ensues owing to the barriers," said Dinesha Kaushik, a commuter who travels every day from Pari Chowk, Noida, to Badarpur.
The new Yamuna flyover was built to make it easier to commute between Delhi and Noida. When press visited the six-lane stretch, three lanes were blocked off with police jersey barriers and plastic dividers.
As a result, cars travelling from Noida got stuck at the Rela Pul bottleneck on the opposite side of the road.
When questioned why these barricades had not yet been removed, a senior police officer from the Southeast district stated, "We have not removed the barricades for security reasons. The stretch is on the interstate border and the Uttar Pradesh elections are now taking place. Furthermore, these barricades are intended to prevent criminals from UP and other neighboring districts from entering the city and conversely to prevent them from fleeing Delhi."
"We understand commuters are experiencing troubles, but this arrangement is for security reasons and to deter criminal activities," the officer added. The barricades are erected in a zigzag pattern, which will be relaxed in the future to allow for seamless traffic flow."
Another commuter, Vinod Sharma, said, "Why was this stretch created by spending crores of public money if it was to be kept closed?" On this stretch of road, I see no police officers inspecting vehicles on daily basis. The road should be opened completely for commuters.”
The Ghazipur, Singhu, and Tikri borders were also closed and barricaded with multi-layer concrete dividers and police barricades during the farmers' agitation. They were opened for traffic movement once farmers left.
