Rain and Kanwar Yatra Disrupt Traffic at Kalindi Kunj Delhi-Noida Border
A heavy spell of afternoon rain, weekday commuter rush, and thousands of Kanwar Yatra pilgrims caused severe traffic congestion along the Delhi-Noida border at Kalindi Kunj and surrounding regional border stretches. Road closures in neighbouring districts, including Noida and Ghaziabad, diverted vehicular traffic onto key corridors, stretching standard 30-minute commutes to over an hour and a half.
The worst-hit stretches included the Delhi-Noida border at Kalindi Kunj, alongside the Delhi-Ghazipur borders at Ghazipur, Anand Vihar, and Dilshad Garden. Tens of thousands of pilgrims entered the capital on foot and aboard large vehicles, moving onwards towards Faridabad, Gurugram, and Bahadurgarh during the final days of the annual yatra.
Traffic congestion was worsened by road closures on key routes in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram, which included sections of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and GT Road. The closures on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway shifted the vehicular load onto NH-9, creating bottlenecks at the border that extended nearly 2 kilometers towards Ghaziabad.
An afternoon rain spell further compounded the issue across the region, inundating roads and leading to several vehicle breakdowns. Pilgrims moved in large groups alongside slow-moving trucks and tractors fitted with multiple boomboxes and disco lights, taking up street space and slowing traffic on busy thoroughfares.
Commuters and local residents expressed frustration over ground-level traffic management and non-functional traffic signals. Karan Agarwal, a resident of East of Kailash, stated that traffic congestion has become a regular issue in his neighbourhood and around Sant Nagar despite repeated complaints to authorities. Other commuters posted on social media platforms about getting stuck for two hours near the Modi Mill flyover, while some noted that deployed traffic personnel focused primarily on facilitating pilgrim movement rather than easing general congestion.
Abhinav Kaushik, a 42-year-old businessman, reported that his travel from Kirti Nagar to Vasundhara took over two hours instead of the usual one hour, with a 1-kilometer stretch between Ghazipur and the UP Gate border taking nearly 50 minutes to cross.
In response, a senior traffic police officer said nearly 2,000 traffic personnel had been deployed on Kanwar Yatra duty to avoid major jams. Traffic police also issued an advisory predicting further disruptions between August 12 and August 15 due to the Bharat Vyapar Mahotsav at Bharat Mandapam, which is expected to draw 25,000 participants and coincide with Shivratri on Tuesday.
