Noida: The regular drive to office is a long one for Atul Sinha. An hour, he sometimes complains, to get to ITO in Delhi from Greater Noida.
Thursday changed that perspective somewhat. It took Atul four hours to get to central Delhi. He walked into office around 5pm, leaving time for most others in the business district. It was a nightmare that underlined the value of the regular one-hour cruise.
“I started from Pari Chowk at 1.15 pm.The GPS showed Noida Expressway was completely choked, so I took the service lane and multiple diversions on the way. I reached Sector 37 and then Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave through internal roads. From there, I drove to ITO and reached office in the evening!” Sinha said.
Like Sinha, people travelling between Noida and Delhi were treated to a day of chaos as a protest by farmers and heavy barricading by police threw traffic haywire on major city routes.
Remya Singh, a resident of Sector 78 in Noida, who had to pick up her son from his school in Mayur Vihar in the afternoon, had a harrowing time after she was stuck on the expressway for two hours. “I had taken a short break to pick up my son from his school but could not reach on time. My son had to be picked up by my husband, who works in Delhi. In fast-moving cities, even a minor slowdown in traffic has a cascading effect. Better planning could have saved a lot of us from this maddening traffic,” she said.
Several officegoers also blamed the traffic department for little or no updates on the blockade. Noida resident Nitish Kumar Roy said he took a shuttle for his office in Gurgaon’s Sector 39 around 2 pm like always but was caught in a traffic jam on the Film City loop to the Noida Expressway for nearly two hours. “The cars barely budged. It was frustrating as there were no updates from the cops on when the road will be cleared. I face a salary deduction on reporting late to work,” he said.
Cab driver Jitendra Kumar, who was caught in the snarl on the Film City flyover, missed a booking from IGI airport. “I was not aware of the diversions and was caught in the tailback for nearly an hour. The booking was for 4.30 pm and despite starting early, I could not reach IGI on time to pick up the passenger.”
Rajib, a resident of Noida Sector 137, said he had left at 3.50 pm for ITO in Delhi and reached Kalndi Kunj after three hours. “I found the entry to the expressway blocked, so I drove on internal roads for a few kilometres. Some people were driving on the wrong side as the main carriageway was blocked,” he said. Amid the chaos, he also witnessed some camaraderie as strangers stranded in their cars chatted and offered each other water.
Rewati Rau, a media professional, said she had left her office in Noida Sector 132 at 4.45pm for her home at Patparganj in Delhi. “I reached home in about three hours,” she said.
Ghaziabad, too, saw huge snarls on the NH-9 and Delhi-Meerut Expressway on Thursday morning as cars were stopped for checking. Anurag Singh, a resident of Crossings Republik, said first he tried to weave through the clogged NH-9 from Crossings to Sector 62 roundabout. “Then I was stuck at UP Gate, where Delhi Police had put up barricades. It took me over three hours to cross Ghazipur area,” he said.
Thursday changed that perspective somewhat. It took Atul four hours to get to central Delhi. He walked into office around 5pm, leaving time for most others in the business district. It was a nightmare that underlined the value of the regular one-hour cruise.
“I started from Pari Chowk at 1.15 pm.The GPS showed Noida Expressway was completely choked, so I took the service lane and multiple diversions on the way. I reached Sector 37 and then Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave through internal roads. From there, I drove to ITO and reached office in the evening!” Sinha said.
Like Sinha, people travelling between Noida and Delhi were treated to a day of chaos as a protest by farmers and heavy barricading by police threw traffic haywire on major city routes.
Remya Singh, a resident of Sector 78 in Noida, who had to pick up her son from his school in Mayur Vihar in the afternoon, had a harrowing time after she was stuck on the expressway for two hours. “I had taken a short break to pick up my son from his school but could not reach on time. My son had to be picked up by my husband, who works in Delhi. In fast-moving cities, even a minor slowdown in traffic has a cascading effect. Better planning could have saved a lot of us from this maddening traffic,” she said.
Several officegoers also blamed the traffic department for little or no updates on the blockade. Noida resident Nitish Kumar Roy said he took a shuttle for his office in Gurgaon’s Sector 39 around 2 pm like always but was caught in a traffic jam on the Film City loop to the Noida Expressway for nearly two hours. “The cars barely budged. It was frustrating as there were no updates from the cops on when the road will be cleared. I face a salary deduction on reporting late to work,” he said.
Cab driver Jitendra Kumar, who was caught in the snarl on the Film City flyover, missed a booking from IGI airport. “I was not aware of the diversions and was caught in the tailback for nearly an hour. The booking was for 4.30 pm and despite starting early, I could not reach IGI on time to pick up the passenger.”
Rajib, a resident of Noida Sector 137, said he had left at 3.50 pm for ITO in Delhi and reached Kalndi Kunj after three hours. “I found the entry to the expressway blocked, so I drove on internal roads for a few kilometres. Some people were driving on the wrong side as the main carriageway was blocked,” he said. Amid the chaos, he also witnessed some camaraderie as strangers stranded in their cars chatted and offered each other water.
Rewati Rau, a media professional, said she had left her office in Noida Sector 132 at 4.45pm for her home at Patparganj in Delhi. “I reached home in about three hours,” she said.
Ghaziabad, too, saw huge snarls on the NH-9 and Delhi-Meerut Expressway on Thursday morning as cars were stopped for checking. Anurag Singh, a resident of Crossings Republik, said first he tried to weave through the clogged NH-9 from Crossings to Sector 62 roundabout. “Then I was stuck at UP Gate, where Delhi Police had put up barricades. It took me over three hours to cross Ghazipur area,” he said.