'Will spend my leave on commute': Delhi-Meerut Expressway crawls for hours as Raksha Bandhan traffic hits NCR

NOIDA: Raksha Bandhan rush brought traffic across Noida and Ghaziabad to a crawl on Thursday, with commuters facing delays of two to three hours on several major roads and expressways. The congestion intensified in the evening, with long queues also reported on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.Thousands of people working in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad were travelling to their hometowns ahead of Raksha Bandhan, putting heavy pressure on roads leading towards western Uttar Pradesh and other districts. Spells of rain further worsened the situation.Commuters complained that despite the festive rush being anticipated, traffic management appeared inadequate and no advisory was issued in Noida to alert motorists about congestion or suggest alternative routes.The worst-affected stretches included the Noida Expressway, sectors 62 and 63, Sector 37, Pari Chowk, Greater Noida-Dadri Road, Vikas Marg, FNG Expressway, Kalindi Kunj, Chilla Border and the DND Flyway.Delhi-bound routes witnessed particularly heavy traffic, with vehicles moving at a sluggish pace around Chilla Border, Kalindi Kunj and the DND Flyway. The queues stretched for several kilometres and waiting times at the border almost doubled.The Noida Expressway also came under pressure as motorists heading towards Greater Noida and beyond tried to avoid congested city roads. Traffic remained slow around Pari Chowk and the Greater Noida-Dadri Road, while FNG Expressway and Vikas Marg also witnessed prolonged snarls.The festive rush was not limited to private vehicles. A large number of passengers headed to bus stops to catch state roadways buses to Agra, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Kanpur, Lucknow and other districts. Increased bus movement added to congestion at several locations, while passengers struggled to board buses and move through crowded stretches.In Ghaziabad, long queues were reported on NH-9, around Lal Kuan, Indirapuram, Sector 62 and Dasna. Waterlogging near Mohan Nagar and under the RRTS station further slowed traffic.The traffic department had announced a diversion plan ahead of the festival. Goods vehicles were barred from NH-9 from 8am on August 26 until midnight on August 28. However, traffic pressure mounted as passengers began reaching the highway in large numbers to board buses for their hometowns.ADCP (Traffic) Varun Singh said the restrictions on commercial vehicles had helped to some extent, but the sudden increase in passenger movement led to heavy congestion. More than 900 traffic personnel were deployed to manage the rush, he said.For many commuters, the journey quickly turned into a test of patience.Sanjeev Kumar, who left Noida for Kanpur at 4pm, said he spent an hour just reaching the Sector 62 roundabout on NH-9 and then waited for nearly two hours for a Lucknow-bound bus.“I should have been halfway through my journey by now but it seems that I will spend most of my leave on the commute,” he said.At Lal Kuan, hundreds of passengers waited for buses. Sumit Singh, who was travelling home to Bareilly, said he had already waited for half an hour when a bus arrived, but it was so crowded that passengers were hanging near the doorway.“I decided not to board it,” he said.The situation worsened after sunset, when congestion spread to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, particularly near its entry and exit points. With the festive rush expected to continue through the weekend, commuters could face further pressure on key routes connecting Delhi-NCR with western Uttar Pradesh.Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes, Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Noida | Silver Rate in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida | Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Petrol Price in Noida | Diesel Price in Noida | CNG Price in Noida | LPG Price in NoidaStay updated with the latest Noida news. Download the TOI App.