Rumours fly after Noida road to Shaheen Bagh is opened briefly
Noida:kalindi Kunj Road or Road Number 13A at Shaheen Bagh — which connects Delhi with Noida — was briefly opened on the Noida side on Thursday night and Friday morning, sparking rumours that the blockade had ended. The road, however, was soon blocked again by police.
Road No. 13A has been blocked for more than two months ever since protests at Shaheen Bagh against the Citizenship Amendment Act started on December 15, 2019. The Delhi and Uttar Pradesh police have placed blockades at several other alternative routes in the vicinity leading to severe traffic jams for commuters travelling between Noida, Delhi and Faridabad.
Noida police officials said that the barricades were removed on
Thursday night for around ten minutes to let an emergency vehicle pass.
Noida traffic personnel at the spot said the barricade was removed for a second time on Friday morning to help a vehicle to be towed. “From the very first day, emergency vehicles like ambulances and certain school buses are being allowed to pass. Yesterday also, only an ambulance was allowed to pass, as this is the shortest route to Ashram where the vehicle was headed. There are no changes for now,” said Rajesh S, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).
Officials said that claims that the stretch had been reopened were based on rumours. Noida police officers claimed that they will reopen the road only when their Delhi counterpart remove barricades from their end.
“A bus broke down at Mahamaya
flyover on Friday and the barricade was removed only to let it get towed away as traffic was beginning to get affected. A couple of cars behind the bus took advantage and they crossed the barricades. But the barricade was re-positioned almost immediately,” said a traffic inspector.
On Thursday, the barricades had also been removed in the afternoon after a collision of cars.
Commuters said that their hopes were dashed after they found out that the road blockade had not been removed.
“It has been over two months now. I have to travel to Siri Fort everyday and my commute time has almost doubled since the protest started. The issue has been highlighted so much, yet nothing has happened. We can only hope that the route re-opens soon,” said Brajesh Sharma, a DGM with a PSU working in Delhi.