The Mahamaya flyover route was opened for 30-40 minutes to let an ambulance pass. (Express Photo: Praveen Khanna)
On Friday, UP Police temporarily removed barricades from Mahamaya Flyover, which connects Noida to Faridabad and has been closed off for the last 69 days ever since the Shaheen Bagh sit-in protest started. The road, which is near Kalindi Kunj, was blocked by UP police as per “security arrangements” on the directions of the Delhi Police.
This move comes against the backdrop of a Supreme Court mandated mediation panel visiting Shaheen Bagh and speaking to protesters. The brief opening of the route for 30-40 minutes prompted instant speculation that mediation had been successful, but both Delhi and UP Police made it clear this was not the case.
DCP (South East) R P Meena said that no roads had been opened and that when the traffic from Noida is too much, a small stretch is opened for a few minutes to let out a few vehicles. This was also the case on Friday.
Anil Kumar Singh, ACP (Noida traffic), said, “The road is still blocked because Delhi Police have barricaded other routes. In the morning, there was an accident nearby and an ambulance was allowed to access the flyover. But a few other commuters continued using the road; when we got this information, our team immediately replaced the barricades.”
As news spread that the road had been reopened, several commuters and protesters gathered. But relief was short-lived as police teams returned and replaced the barricades. To avoid a similar situation, police said they will deploy personnel at the barricades.