MUZAFFARNAGAR/GHAZIABAD: Heavy traffic restrictions will be implemented in phases across western Uttar Pradesh for the annual Kanwar Yatra beginning Thursday, officials said.Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the pilgrimage, including medical facilities, CCTV surveillance and the deployment of dedicated relief personnel along the ghats to ensure the safety and smooth movement of devotees.As part of the preparations, liquor shops and non-vegetarian eateries along the yatra route have also been removed or cleared.NH-58 to shut from August 4; diversions in place From August 4, there will be a complete ban on vehicular movement on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway (NH-58) and the Ganga canal road in Muzaffarnagar district to facilitate the movement of kanwariyas, they said.The restrictions are likely to disrupt travel between Delhi, Haridwar, Dehradun and Saharanpur, with commuters expected to face longer travel times and higher bus and taxi fares due to traffic diversions. Muzaffarnagar senior superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar said heavy vehicles would be barred from key routes from July 30, while all traffic would be prohibited on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway and the Ganga canal road in the district from August 4. “Traffic will be diverted to alternate routes to ensure smooth movement of Kanwariyas during the yatra,” Kumar told reporters.UPSRTC buses on diversion routes; longer journeys, higher fares likelyUnder the diversion plan, traffic travelling from Haridwar and Saharanpur towards Delhi will be rerouted via Deoband, Pachenda, Mirapur and Mawana in Meerut before entering the national capital. Vehicles returning from Delhi will follow the same route.Officials said the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has arranged to operate buses on the diversion routes. However, passengers are expected to face longer travel times and higher fares due to the increased travel distance.The Kanwar Yatra, during which devotees of Lord Shiva collect Ganga water from Haridwar and carry it on foot to offer at Shiva temples in their hometowns, will begin on July 30 and conclude on August 11.Ghaziabad announces phased traffic curbs till August 12In Ghaziabad, the commissionerate police have announced a phased traffic diversion plan that will remain in effect from July 29 to August 12.Heavy goods vehicles entering the city from the Delhi side have been prohibited since Wednesday morning and are being diverted via the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the Ganga Expressway and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.Restrictions on light commercial vehicles, cars, tempos and other passenger vehicles will come into force from the morning of August 5. The Ganga Canal embankment road and the pipeline road will remain completely closed, while vehicular movement on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will be suspended from August 7, except for Dak Kanwariyas.Authorities have also barred state-run, private, city and electric buses from entering Ghaziabad through the Seemapuri border and Tulsi Niketan from August 5. These buses will be rerouted through designated alternate routes.Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravindra Kumar said all preparations for the Kanwar Yatra have been completed. For smooth administrative supervision, the district has been divided into 11 zones, 24 sectors and 108 sub-sectors. About 300 kanwar camps are expected to be set up, with over 205 kanwar organisations participating. More than 24 medical camps, 65 ambulances and over 250 reserved hospital beds have been arranged, while NDRF and SDRF teams will be deployed at sensitive Ganga canal ghats, officials said in Ghaziabad. The administration has also covered transformers, secured around 90,000 electricity poles along the Kanwar route, closed non-vegetarian shops on the route and screened 170 liquor outlets. CCTV cameras linked to multiple control rooms will monitor the pilgrimage, while officials warned of strict action against those spreading rumours on social media.3,900 police personnel deployed: Bareilly steps up security with CCTV, checkpointsIn Bareilly, the district administration has put in place extensive security arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra, deploying more than 3,900 police personnel to ensure the safety of devotees.To streamline security management, the district has been divided into three super zones, nine zones, 28 sectors and 104 sub-sectors. Ten temporary police checkposts have also been established, while over 270 CCTV cameras have been installed for round-the-clock surveillance, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said on Wednesday.According to police records, Bareilly has 1,205 Shiva temples, of which nearly 499 witness jalabhishek during the holy month of Shravan. Fourteen of these have been identified as major temples.Arya said the security plan had been finalised after briefing all officers and that continuous monitoring through CCTV cameras would help ensure devotees complete the pilgrimage without any inconvenience. The deployment includes station house officers, inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables, women personnel and Home Guards, while police have warned that adequate arrangements are in place to manage crowds throughout the pilgrimage period.25,000 cops deployed across Meerut zone for Kanwar Yatra Earlier, additional director general of police (Meerut Zone) Bhanu Bhaskar said heavy vehicle diversions across the Meerut zone would come into effect from the midnight of July 29-30, while restrictions on light and medium vehicles would be enforced from August 4 to August 12.He said commuters travelling from Delhi to Haridwar and Dehradun could use the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, where Kanwariyas would be discouraged from travelling. Ambulances and other emergency vehicles, however, will be allowed to pass through restricted stretches under police escort.To ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the annual pilgrimage, police have deployed around 25,000 personnel across the Meerut zone. Authorities have also set up AI-enabled surveillance through nearly 7,000 CCTV cameras, along with temporary police posts, barricades and integrated command centres.(With agency inputs)
