CJP stir: UP travellers alter Delhi plans amid cancelled trains, heavy police deployment

Lucknow/Varanasi: Amid massive security deployment in Uttar Pradesh districts bordering Delhi and cancellation of many national-capital-bound trains due to CJP's proposed stir has forced people in the neighbouring state to make alternate arrangements or drop their plans altogether.

Police maintained a tight vigil in districts like Noida and Ghaziabad that border Delhi, where security forces are clamping down on the proposed stir at Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"Due to the (CJP) protest in Delhi today, vehicles are being checked at various border points in Ghaziabad as a precautionary measure," DCP (Trans Hindon zone) Rijul said on Saturday.


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He said about 15-20 people have been detained so far and were being interrogated.

"Delhi is the national capital, and thus we share a joint responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of its residents," the DCP said, explaining that checking drives near the Delhi border were to identify unruly elements wanting to enter Delhi.

He said over 150 police personnel were deployed in the border areas and added that similar checking drives were being carried out at other border points too.

"During vehicle checks, we look for items that we feel shouldn't be allowed, things that could create security issues. We are questioning those who come across as suspicious," he said, adding that security has been upped at border points like Loni border, Sahibabad Garden, and Maharajpur border.

ACP Indirapuram (Ghaziabad) Suryabali Maurya on Saturday told PTI Videos, "We have been conducting security checks here since yesterday. The focus is on maintaining law and order. Apart from civil police, QRT and PAC personnel too are on standby," he said, adding that police are ensuring that traffic flow remains smooth and people are not inconvenienced.

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He added that based on inputs, random checks are conducted.

"There is a specific procedure for these checks, and we follow it," he said.

In Gautam Buddha Nagar, security has been strengthened at the Noida-Delhi Chilla border. ADCP Noida Abhay Kumar Mishra told PTI Videos, "Section 163 of the BNSS has been implemented in the district. Monitoring is being done to maintain peace."

The cancellation of most Delhi-bound trains, ostensibly due to CJP protests, though Railways has cited road congestion as the reason, caused great inconvenience to people who had confirmed tickets to Delhi booked two months back.

Himanshu Kumar Srivastava and Abhishek Singh, for instance, had their job interviews lined up at a private firm in Delhi on Saturday. Both appeared anxious as they claimed their repeated requests to have their interviews postponed to Monday were not accepted by the company. The duo later travelled to Delhi by road.

"We changed taxis thrice and were thankfully able to reach Delhi early Saturday morning," the duo told PTI on the phone from Delhi.

According to a Railway Board circular, trains departing from their originating stations after 2 pm on October 9 and scheduled to arrive at New Delhi or Hazrat Nizamuddin stations between 4 am and 2 pm on October 10 (Saturday) had been cancelled.

The Railways cited unexpected road traffic between the two stations as the reason for cancellations.

According to information received from North Central Railway, passengers were advised to check the status of their trains via the railway helpline (139), the NTES app, or official railway information channels before commencing their journey to avoid inconvenience.

Samarth Gupta, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager of Northern Railway's Lucknow Division, said that certain trains originating from the Lucknow Division will remain cancelled on October 10, due to the likelihood of severe road traffic disruptions in the areas surrounding New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations.

Shivam Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of North Central Railway, told PTI that approximately 5,000 people had missed their trains over the past couple of days due to heavy congestion in the vicinity of the New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations.

He added that train cancellations were in fact aimed at ensuring that people don't end up facing significant difficulties due to travel.

Taxi driver Aashu Dixit told PTI, "Owing to the sudden cancellation of major Delhi-bound trains, the taxi operators started getting calls on Friday from those Delhi-bound passengers, whose trains had been cancelled." Spurt in demand for taxis led to some private operators increasing fares.

"Initially, we were under the impression that the taxis would not be allowed to enter Delhi. But later I came to know vehicles are being allowed to enter, but only after thorough checking," he said.

Many admitted they cancelled their visit.

Amit, a resident of Sundarpur, stated that he needed to travel to Delhi for medical treatment but cancellation of Delhi-bound trains from Varanasi and Mughalsarai forced him to cancel his trip.

"I had a confirmed berth on the Shivganga Express, but owing to cancellation, I have to reschedule the visit," he said.

Vikas Singh, the district president of the Youth Congress and an advocate, took a flight to Delhi from Varanasi following the train cancellation.

"We were lucky that we could afford air travel. But what about the working class and students," he asked.

Mathura-based activist Deepak Sharma, who had earlier created a stir in the temple town by dressing as a cockroach to draw attention to pollution in the Yamuna, said that his plans to participate in the Saturday protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi were dashed due to train cancellation.

"On Friday night, I left for Delhi, but the police stopped me from going there, and I had to return home from the Agra-Noida Expressway," Sharma told PTI on Saturday.