Ahead of Raksha Bandhan, people from Delhi and Noida headed to their hometowns and relatives' houses, triggering massive traffic congestion on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. By Thursday evening (August 27), the expressway was choked with vehicles, with traffic stretching for several kilometres and commuters stuck in slow-moving jams for nearly 5-6 hours.
The Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which passes through Ghaziabad, the Noida-Greater Noida, and several major roads adjoining Delhi are also grappling with traffic jams. It is reported that vehicles are snarling for several kilometers from Noida Sector 62 to Dasna.
While people have traveled to their homes and relatives for Rakshabandhan, they have also ventured out to various markets to shop for the festival. Consequently, a sea of people has taken to the streets.
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Several travellers were severely affected by the traffic jam. Even those who were not leaving the city and were simply commuting from their offices to their homes experienced travel times that were two to three times longer than usual. One daily commuter, Pushkar, told NDTV, "It took me around 35-40 minutes to cover a distance of four kilometres on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. It normally takes 10-15 minutes on this stretch, but three of the four lanes of the expressway were occupied by people and buses. It was completely choked."
In view of the traffic jam, Ghaziabad Police has issued a helpline number. On social media, Ghaziabad Police wrote, "Due to the festival, there is traffic congestion at Lal Kuan. Traffic police are on site and traffic is being managed."
Traffic Helpline Number - 9643322904
Near Chhijarsi, people have been waiting for hours for buses and vehicles to take them home. However, due to the traffic jam, no vehicles are able to reach the passengers.
Where can you get out
If you're traveling from Ghaziabad to Meerut, you can take the connectors before Dasna to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. This will avoid traffic jams on the main route. Those traveling from Delhi or Ghaziabad can take the old National Highway via Muradnagar and Modinagar.
Those traveling to Meerut can catch the Namo Bharat Train. The NCRTC is operating 47 additional Namo Bharat Train trips on August 27th and 28th. Due to these additional trips, passengers will have access to trains every eight minutes on June 27th and 28th. The Namo Bharat Train runs from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi to Modipuram station in Meerut.
