As the Kanwar Yatra began on Friday, Delhi Traffic Police issued a detailed advisory alerting commuters about possible congestion and diversions on several major roads in the city over the next two weeks.
The yatra during which lakhs of devotees carry holy Ganga water to the temples of Lord Shiva will continue till July 23 (Chaturdashi Tithi) and is expected to see a footfall of 15 to 20 lakh pilgrims in the national capital.
The movement of kanwariyas and the setting up of Kanwar camps are likely to disrupt traffic flow on key roads, including Najafgarh Firni, Rohtak Road, Pankha Road, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Nangloi–Najafgarh Road, Outer Ring Road, Rani Jhansi Road (Baraf Khana Chowk to Fire Station), Boulevard Road, Azad Market Chowk, Gokulpuri Flyover, 66 Foota Road, Maujpur Chowk, Badarpur T Point and Mathura Road, said the advisory.
The traffic is also expected to remain heavy on NH-8, particularly between Dhaula Kuan Metro Station and Rajokri Border. On NH-24, the diversions by Uttar Pradesh Police at Apsara and Maharajpur Borders are likely to impact traffic entering Delhi. One of the main routes for kanwariyas starts at Apsara Border and goes through Shahdara Flyover, Seelampur T Point, ISBT Flyover, Boulevard Road, Rani Jhansi Road, Faiz Road, Upper Ridge Road, Dhaula Kuan and NH-8. From there, devotees will leave Delhi from the Rajokri Border and head towards Haryana.
Another route begins at Bhopura Border and goes through Wazirabad Road, Loni Flyover, Gokulpuri T Point, 66 Foota Road and Seelampur T Point before heading towards NH-1 and the new ISBT bridge.
A separate route from Bhopura Border passes through Wazirabad Road, Wazirabad Bridge, Outer Ring Road and Mukarba Chowk to NH-1. From there, devotees will either move out of Delhi through the Singhu Border or Mukarba Chowk, or travel further via Auchandi Border, Madhuban Chowk, Bawana Road and Peeragarhi to exit from Tikri Border.
The other routes that are likely to be busy include the ones coming in from Loni Border and Sonia Vihar Border. These go through Pusta Road, Khajoori Flyover and Wazirabad Road from the Uttar Pradesh side.
Devotees entering from the Maharajpur Border, Road No. 56 and Ghazipur area will use NH-24, Ring Road and Mathura Road, and exit Delhi from Badarpur Border.