Archive · 11 Aug 2026
NH-9 Chokes as Kanwar Yatra Diversions Hit Delhi-Ghaziabad Commuters
Many people are traveling for a big festival called the Kanwar Yatra.
They are going to a holy city named Haridwar to collect water.
Because so many people are on the road, police closed a big highway just for them.
That highway is called the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
Regular cars, buses, and trucks had to use smaller roads instead.
This made one road, NH-9, very crowded.
Some people had to wait hours to get where they were going.
Police officers were there to help cars move along.
The expressway is expected to open again soon.
When it does, the roads should get less crowded.
Traffic on NH-9 near Delhi's Ghazipur Border (UP Gate) was extremely slow on August 11, causing long queues and multi-hour delays.
Congestion stemmed from Kanwar Yatra diversions, with the Delhi-to-Meerut carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway reserved for Kanwariyas traveling to Haridwar for Dak Kanwar.
Ghaziabad Traffic Police personnel were deployed at the spot, and the Delhi Traffic Police was informed for further action.
Expressway entry points including Vijaynagar, Crossing and Dasna were barricaded, forcing regular traffic onto NH-9, Meerut Road, GT Road and other alternative routes.
The Delhi-Meerut Expressway was expected to reopen by the evening or late night on August 11, with authorities having deployed 294 Kanwar camps, 120 medical teams and over 2,000 CCTV cameras.
- Who
- Commuters traveling between Delhi and Ghaziabad/Meerut, Kanwar Yatra devotees (Kanwariyas), and Ghaziabad and Delhi traffic police personnel.
- What
- Heavy traffic congestion on NH-9 near the Ghazipur Border caused by Kanwar Yatra route diversions and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway being reserved for Kanwar traffic.
- When
- August 11, 2026, with congestion reported during morning and evening peak hours and the expressway closed to regular traffic through the evening of August 10 and August 11.
- Where
- NH-9 near Delhi's Ghazipur Border (UP Gate) and multiple roads across Ghaziabad, including GT Road, Meerut Road, Hapur Road and Hindon Road.
- Why
- The Delhi-to-Meerut carriageway of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway was reserved for Kanwariyas traveling to Haridwar for Dak Kanwar, forcing a large volume of regular traffic onto alternative roads.
- Event
- Kanwar Yatra (Dak Kanwar)
- Location
- NH-9 near Ghazipur Border (UP Gate), Delhi and Ghaziabad
- Cause of congestion
- Delhi-Meerut Expressway reserved for Kanwar traffic; Ghaziabad route closed
- Traffic status
- Extremely slow on NH-9; snarled for nearly three hours
- Barricaded expressway entries
- Vijaynagar, Crossing, Dasna, Hapur Tiraha
- Expected reopening
- Delhi-Meerut Expressway by evening or late night on August 11
- Security arrangements
- 294 Kanwar camps, 120 medical teams, over 2,000 CCTV cameras
- Affected roads
- NH-9, NH service lane, Meerut Road, GT Road, Hapur Road, Wazirabad Road, Hindon Road