Commuters traveling between Noida and Delhi faced severe traffic congestion on Saturday as thousands of people descended upon the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal to pay their respects on the death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
Traffic Chaos and Police Restrictions
The massive influx of visitors led to long tailbacks, particularly outside the memorial. To manage the situation, the Noida Traffic Police implemented significant restrictions. The movement of all light, medium, and heavy goods carriers was banned on the Noida Expressway. Additionally, connecting roads near the GIP Mall were blocked to regulate the flow of vehicles.
Early morning congestion was vividly captured by commuter Dinkar Rawat, who shared a video on social media platform X showing a completely packed Noida Expressway. To ease the pressure, vehicles coming from the Noida Elevated Road towards the memorial were diverted left near the Sector 28 Car Market. From that point, motorists were instructed to take a U-turn, pass under the metro line on Captain Vijayant Thapar Marg, and then proceed towards Sector 15 and the Chilla border. This diversion, however, added considerable pressure on Vijayant Thapar Marg during peak hours.
Official Response and Visitor Numbers
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pravin Ranjan Singh stated that goods vehicles were successfully diverted to the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. He explained that entry of vehicles into the Dalit Prerna Sthal itself was restricted to manage the large crowd. "We also arranged parking facilities for visitors, and overall traffic remained smooth," Singh added, despite the visible congestion on key arteries.
Officials estimated that nearly 10,000 visitors from Noida, Greater Noida, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Meerut, and other nearby cities visited the memorial to pay homage to the architect of the Indian Constitution.
Political Tributes and Commemoration
The event also saw political participation. BSP national convenor Akash Anand attended the program and paid floral tributes to Dr Ambedkar. In a post on X, he described Ambedkar as the "messiah of the Bahujan community and architect of the Indian Constitution." Anand used the occasion to urge followers to support BSP chief Mayawati in carrying forward what he termed "the unfinished journey of Baba Saheb's mission."
The annual observance once again highlighted the deep reverence for Dr BR Ambedkar and the significant logistical challenges that arise when large crowds gather at the prominent memorial in Noida.
