Ghaziabad: In light of heavy traffic congestion at the border on NH-9 and DME following showers on Wednesday morning, traffic police removed restrictions on light vehicles on the DME. The expressway had previously been closed from Sunday night to ensure safe passage for kanwar pilgrims.ACP (traffic) Ziauddin Ahmad said that the number of pilgrims using the stretch had reduced significantly with Shivratri celebrations in full swing, therefore, there was no longer a necessity to close the expressway, and restrictions were eased to solve the heavy congestion. It took more than two hours for traffic police to control the situation. Kunal Verma, a commuter stuck in snarls on Wednesday, told TOI that it took him more than two hours to cross the Ghazipur area. Some police personnel were managing the traffic movement, he said.Anshul Kumar, another commuter, mentioned that there was waterlogging at the underpass of DME and in the Ghazipur area. “One of the commuters’ cars also broke down at the Ghazipur side, and this made more difficulties for people. Around noon, I reached the office in Delhi, and I left my house in Crossings Republik at 9.15am,” he said.Vehicles were diverted to the Kaushambi side to travel to Delhi via Bhopura. More than 25 traffic police personnel were present at the spot along with local police to execute the diversion plan and manage traffic.On easing restrictions further, the ACP said, “The restrictions on heavy vehicles are still in place, and we will review the situation this evening. There are possibilities that heavy vehicles will also be allowed by tonight.”Previously, entry points to the expressway at Khoda, ABES College, Crossings Republik, Dasna, and Bhojpur were closed for public use. Delhi-bound traffic was diverted to NH-9, which runs parallel to the DME.Traffic police had imposed a ban on all types of vehicles on DME from Sunday night but partially reopened it on Monday for one hour, between 11am and noon, to ease traffic movement. Similarly, on Tuesday, between 10am and noon, the restrictions were temporarily relaxed as numerous office-goers and commuters reached DME entry points requesting access due to work and business obligations.
