Protesters block Delhi-Ghazipur border, key routes connecting city with UP closed

NEW DELHI: Adding to the woes of commuters in the National Capital Region, farmers on Thursday blocked another entry point to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh. Police on Thursday had to close routes on two national highways connecting Ghaziabad to Delhi as farmers stayed put at the national capital’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. 

Several commuters were turned away on the blocked roads. As traffic spilled over to alternate routes, it led to long jams there as well.

Meanwhile, the Delhi-Haryana border remained closed for traffic and vehicular movement at Singhu and Tikri the eighth consecutive day.

The agitating farmers have threatened to block all other roads connecting the national capital if their demands are not be fulfilled. 

As the protest intensified at Ghazipur, the local police closed the routes on NH-9 and NH 24 from Ghaziabad to Delhi.

On NH-1, both sides of the route were closed near Shani Mandir.  

“The Ghazipur border on NH-24 is closed for traffic from Ghaziabad towards Delhi due to farmers’ protests. People are advised to avoid NH-24 for coming to Delhi and use Apsara/Bhopra/DND instead,” the traffic police tweeted. 

At Chilla border, the carriageway ‘from Delhi to Noida’ was opened but the ‘Noida to Delhi’ route remained closed.

Commuters were advised to use the Apsara border on GT Road, Bhopura border on Wazirabad road and the DND flyover for Delhi from the UP side.NH-44 also remained closed on both sides.

Advising the road users to take alternative routes, the police suggested using NH-8, Bhopra, Apsara and the peripheral expressway. 

The Delhi-Haryana border at Jharoda and Jhatikra also remained closed for traffic movement while the Badusarai border was open only for two-wheeler traffic. However, people could travel to Haryana through Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri, NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam Vihar and Dundahera border points.