Noida opens up more lanes as border check posts lead to jams

NOIDA: The congestion at the Delhi-Noida borders, which had become something of a mainstay since Tuesday when lockdown restrictions were eased to allow inter-state movement, reduced slightly on Friday, but that had little to do with a reduction in vehicular numbers, which commuters claimed was back to what it used to be before the lockdown.

Gautam Budh Nagar is continuing to keep its borders sealed and only people with passes and those involved in essential services are allowed to cross.

“In addition, we are also allowing lawyers to travel, in pursuance to an order from the Delhi high court. Till e-passes are issued to lawyers, we are letting them pass after verifying their IDs. In addition, people who have medical appointments are also allowed cross the borders even if they don’t have a pass -- all they need are the medical documents. However, people who still have no emergency or a governmentissued pass are not being allowed to cross state lines,” Noida’s deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, Sankalp Sharma, said.

He said more lanes have been opened at all border points to accommodate the increased volume of traffic. Officials and commuters both blame the congestion on people who are travelling without a valid specific reason.

“The normal 50-minute journey from Faridabad to Noida took me almost 1.5 hours on Friday via

Kalindi Kunj because in addition to the large number of vehicles, police are also checking each motorist for passes and documents. Some vsehicles are being turned away for want of necessary papers,” said Amrinder Singh, a commuter, who lives in Faridabad and works in Noida.

As several organisations resume working with full staff strength, there is pressure on commuters to travel.

“I told been told by the HR this weekend that we will now resume work at full scale. But travelling is a hassle. It’s easy in the mornings because Delhi Police is not checking commuters, but returning home to Noida is a struggle,” an IT startup company employee, who travels from Noida to Delhi via DND Flyway, said.