GURUGRAM /NOIDA: From healthcare workers to office goers and families who needed to get to IGI airport or New Delhi station to catch a plane or a train, people travelling to the capital from the NCR cities were on Friday hit by a triple whammy — suspension of metro services, choked borders and astronomical fares charged by cabs and autos.
The Metro ran a loop only within Gurugram — from Huda City Centre to Guru Dronacharya metro station, via IFFCO Chowk, MG Road and Sikanderpur stations. But autos charged anything between Rs 100 and Rs 200 for a short ride from Guru Dronacharya, the last station in the city, to Arjan Garh, the first station in Delhi, on the Yellow Line. Usually, this fare is about Rs 50. Similarly, from IFFCO Chowk to Arjan Garh, shared autos asked for Rs 150-200 for each person, much higher than the fare charged by even non-shared autos at other times.
Hundreds of commuters who reached the metro stations were unaware that services had been suspended due to the farmers’ Dilli Chalo march. The fact that none of the stations, except Huda City Centre, made an announcement to alert them did not help.
Vaishali Virmani, a resident of Sector 17 in Noida, who was visiting her family in Gurugram, said, “I boarded the train from IFFCO Chowk station but did not realise that the service was only available till Guru Dronacharya station. Now I will take an auto to reach Delhi and then take the metro to go to Noida.”
At Huda City Centre Metro station, Chandan Kumar, who works in a factory in Gurugram, told TOI he had to catch a train to Patna at 6pm from Anand Vihar railway station. “But cabs are asking for Rs 700-800, which pinches the pocket. And even if I took one, I’m not sure I will get there in time with the traffic congestion on the border,” a visibly worried Kumar said.
Many healthcare workers were also at the receiving end. Anjali Yadav, a nurse who had just finished her 12-hour night shift at a private city hospital, was left stranded when she tried reaching her home in Saket. “I didn’t know anything about the protest. I will have to ask my brother to pick me up as I have no other means of transport,” she said.
Several people coming towards Delhi from Noida ditched the Metro for the day and opted instead to travel by road, with many of them using carpool. “I usually travel to Delhi via metro but asked my colleague if I could travel with him on Friday,” said Ajay Sharma, who was travelling to RK Puram.
Similarly, Pooja Sharma, who works in the hospitality industry in Delhi, said she had made alternative travel plans as she was apprehensive about the traffic disruptions. “I took a ride with a friend and reached my office on time,” she said.
Meanwhile, both sides of the borders were choked due to heavy deployment of cops and checking of vehicles. On the Gurugram-Delhi expressway, only two lanes were opened, resulting in a 2km-long tailback. Trucks, trolleys and buses were halted at the Sirhaul border while Delhi Police barricaded the Kapashera border. “Traffic is crawling and I am already late for a meeting in Delhi. Police should ease the halts and checks so vehicles can move smoothly,” said Harsh Saini, a resident of Sector 46 in Gurugram.
Another commuter, Santosh Jain, said he had decided to turn back after being stuck at the border for 30 minutes. “I don’t know what will be the situation in Delhi,” he said.
In Noida too, long snarls were witnessed at the Chilla border, Jhundpura and DND as both Delhi Police and Noida Police put up barricades. While traffic was smooth till 10 am, commuters got stuck soon afterwards as the number of vehicles increased.
Ramesh Kumar, who was travelling towards Delhi’s Mayur Vihar from Noida, said, “A huge police force was deployed at the Chilla traffic signal. The barricades left little space for commuters to pass through, resulting in jams. I was delayed for 30 minutes.” Gagan Singh, a private firm executive who was travelling to Moti Nagar in the capital, shared a similar experience, saying he had been stuck for 20 minutes.
Tailbacks up to 2km were seen on DND Flyway till nearly 11.30am, but traffic eased after police eased the barricading and the checks, and the farmers later got permission to move to Delhi.