Traffic was disrupted across parts of Noida and Greater Noida on Tuesday during Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin’s visit to Noida International Airport in Greater Noida’s Jewar, with police briefly stopping vehicles to facilitate movement of his motorcade.
Congestion built up on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and adjoining roads during the return journey. The traffic disruption also highlighted the challenges faced by commuters and school buses during high-security VIP movements. It’s like children are being held hostage. We also temporarily diverted traffic onto internal arterial roads. However, as the traffic volume was high, congestion built up briefly.
Traffic police said Parmelin, accompanied by a delegation of around 65 members, left Delhi around 10.30am and reached the airport via the Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) Flyway, Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and Yamuna Expressway. After the visit, the President left the airport around 2.20pm and reached the Delhi border around 3.20pm. School buses have been stuck for over an hour (from 2.20 pm to 3.20 pm) at one point in Sector 132. Pravin Ranjan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, traffic, said, “Traffic was stopped for around 10 to 15 minutes. Earlier reporting noted: Swiss President visits Jewar, gets glimpse of Noida airport expansion plans The Noida International Airport in Jewar is planned to eventually handle more than 70 million passengers annually as it expands over the concession period, according to the airport’s master plan, the Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin was told during his visit to the facility on Tuesday.
“As there were around 10 vehicles in the Swiss President’s motorcade, along with security teams, we had to briefly stop traffic to facilitate the movement,” a traffic police officer said. With several major expressways and arterial roads serving as key links between Noida, Greater Noida and Delhi, even brief traffic stoppages result in significant congestion, particularly during afternoon peak hours, said commuters. Another user said, “Why is VIP movement not communicated to schools in advance or planned better? Earlier reporting noted: The Swiss president and the delegation were briefed on the airport’s development, sustainability initiatives, passenger experience plans and future expansion, according to a statement issued by Noida International Airport. Earlier reporting noted: A presentation on the airport and its development plans was also made to the delegation, following which Parmelin addressed its members, officials said.
The Noida traffic police said an advisory had been issued in advance on Monday and that the movement of all commercial vehicles was restricted from 7am to 10pm on Tuesday on designated routes.
