With the World Culture Festival being organised by Art of Living Foundation set to start tomorrow (March 11) on the Yamuna river bed, residents in Noida are a worried lot. The three-day festival will see an estimated 35 lakh participants congregating alongside the DND flyway - the link connecting Noida to Delhi. Congestion in traffic as a result of the fest has become a major cause for concern for the residents.
According to Ashok Chaturvedi, secretary RWA Sector 15A, “With thousands or maybe lakhs headed for the venue, DND flyway will see heavy traffic. That's why, our sector's gate number 1 and 2 will be closed for two hours during peak time."
“The Noida Traffic Police should set up some mechanism to monitor traffic during the three-day event as there is going to be additional burden on the roads,” suggested OP Yadav, a resident of Sector 52.
But Noida police seems to be clueless about handling the traffic during this period. A source in the police force acknowledged this lacunae on condition of anonymity.
A majority of people participating in the fest would be staying in hotels and guest houses of Noida and Mayur Vihar. "This will aggravate the traffic woes of Noida and East Delhi," said Anju Singh, who lives in Sector 39.
The toll road of the DND flyway witness regular traffic snarls during rush hours. During the festival period, it is going to be even worse. "Alternate routes to Delhi via Kalindi Kunj or Nizamuddin Bridge would also be hit as traffic is diverted to these routes," said Ravinder Zutshi, a resident of Sector 44.
He added that the only option Noida residents have is to stay at home on these days.
