Three routes on Delhi-Ghaziabad border closed, liquor shops shut

GHAZIABAD: The Ghaziabad district administration on Tuesday kept a close watch on all borders with Delhi and completely sealed three routes at Lal Bagh, DLF Pushta and near Loni town, near Karawal Nagar. Liquor shops were also shut for a day.

District officials said they had also issued an advisory to people not to follow the three routes to Delhi and use alternative roads.

The directions were given by district magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey, who along with Praveen Kumar, inspector general (Meerut range), and other officers, camped in the communally sensitive Loni town.

Loni shares a border with northeast Delhi where largescale violence has erupted. The heightened security in Ghaziabad was put in place in wake of the violence in northeast Delhi.

“As a precautionary measure of sealing the three border routes with Delhi, we ordered the closure of all liquor shops in the district from 4pm. The closure has been ordered only for Tuesday to prevent any hooliganism by antisocial elements,” Pandey, said.

“No schools have been directed to close as the situation in Ghaziabad is under control and no incidents have been reported from any sensitive areas. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code are already in place,” he added.

The cops said they have already put in place police personnel at sensitive areas in Muradnagar, Kaila Bhatta, Loni, Dasna and Masuri. Incidents of violence and stone pelting had erupted in Muradnagar, Kaila Bhatta and Sahibabad on December 20, 2019, during the initial stage of protests against CAA.

“We have activated the intelligence wing and 24x7 checking and barricading of border areas have been ordered,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP, Ghaziabad.