NEW DELHI: The roads in the capital were mostly empty on Tuesday even as a heavy traffic police deployment was made to avoid any untoward incident in the wake of Bharat bandh called by protesting farmers.
While many Delhiites decided to stay home, inter-NCR traffic was disrupted again with most entry/exit points into/from Delhi remaining shut. Commuters, crossing the carriageway opposite Akshardham, had to take NH-24 to reach Noida as police closed the flyover. The movement on DND Flyway was, however, rather smooth with farmers causing no disruption.
Many commuters decided to take the Delhi Metro. “I had an important work and thought there could be protests inside Delhi too. So I took the Metro,” said Kamal Singh, a resident of east Delhi who daily travels to ITO.
Rishi Rawat, who travels from Janakpuri to Chanakyapuri every day, had it comparatively easy. “I had left home an hour early. But there was less than usual snarls and I reached half an hour early.”
The Delhi-Meerut highway and the Ghazipur-Ghaziabad (UP Gate) border were blocked by farmers till 3pm amid heavy police presence. However, emergency-service vehicles were allowed to pass. “Traffic movement at Ghazipur border in the carriageway from Delhi to Ghaziabad is open and Ghaziabad to Delhi is closed,” Delhi Traffic Police tweeted.
The traffic police also said NH-44 was closed from both sides, while Jhatikara and Badusarai borders were open only for two-wheelers and pedestrians.
The 12-day protests at Delhi’s borders against three central farm laws have disrupted the traffic movement in NCR as most interstate borders around Delhi have since been closed.