VARANASI: Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal directed police stations on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to put 80 percent of their force on roads, at junctions and in crowded markets during the festival rush. His inspection covered Kachahari to Bhojubeer and Marimai to Rath Yatra, making parking discipline and clear footpaths immediate concerns for shoppers and businesses along these corridors.

Residents heading out for Dhanteras on Friday, November 6, should use designated parking and follow directions from personnel at busy junctions. Shopkeepers have been told to keep the road and pavement outside their premises clear. Police have also been instructed to direct drivers towards nearby alternatives when a main parking location fills up.

The instruction asks senior officers and station heads to manage traffic on the ground over the next four days. The reports describing it do not provide a street closure timetable or a precise expiry hour. Travellers should therefore check the arrangement at their destination rather than assume that every inspected road has become a restricted route.

What residents should do

Make the parking decision before stopping outside a shop. The commissioner has called for enforcement of the colour coded parking arrangement and action against vehicles left in places where parking is prohibited. A space directly outside a business should not be treated as available simply because other customers have stopped there.

When a parking area is full, follow the alternative indicated by police instead of waiting at its entrance and obstructing the approach. The instruction specifically provides for drivers to be sent towards nearby alternative locations as pressure rises. It does not publish a new list of parking capacities, charges or opening hours.

Keep pedestrian space clear while loading purchases or waiting for companions. Removing encroachments from roads and pavements is part of the direction to local and traffic police. The enforcement focus covers both moving traffic and the stationary obstructions that reduce the space available for people walking through a market.

The practical instructions for this festival period are:

  • Use the designated parking arrangement at the place you visit.
  • Follow personnel directing vehicles to an alternative when parking fills.
  • Keep shopfront roads and footpaths free of obstructions.
  • Leave a clear passage for ambulances and fire service vehicles.
  • Observe restrictions on wrong direction driving and prohibited parking.

For an emergency, the Uttar Pradesh Police website directs residents to 112 for emergency response, lists 101 for the fire brigade and 108 for an ambulance. Give responders a clear location and the nature of the incident. These emergency services are separate from a routine request for directions to a parking area.

Where the additional police presence is directed

The deployment instruction extends beyond the two stretches inspected on Wednesday. The commissioner asked for personnel at major crossroads, markets and other crowded locations, with local police and traffic teams coordinating their work. The 80 percent figure concerns station personnel assigned to field duty; it is not a count of extra officers brought into Varanasi.

Officers have been told to deal with congestion where it occurs. The instruction places gazetted officers and station heads on the road alongside their teams, rather than leaving traffic management to a review conducted from an office. No station by station deployment numbers were provided in the reports checked for this article.

The inspection also addressed roadside encroachments and irregular parking. Police were directed to remove obstacles and enforce traffic rules, including action against wrong direction movement. Keeping the route available to emergency services was another stated requirement, relevant to residents travelling through shopping areas as well as those visiting them.

Use the official route reference carefully

The Traffic Police Commissionerate Varanasi portal is the official public route reference checked for this report. Its Kashi Zone section separates routes serving different police station areas. These existing route descriptions are useful background, but they do not themselves constitute a newly issued festival diversion notice.

The section identifies a red route connecting Kotwali, Jaitpura and Adampur, a yellow route covering Chetganj, Sigra, Luxa, Dashashwamedh and Chowk, a green route for Bhelupur, and a blue route for Lanka and Chitaipur. Residents using those services should consult the relevant route page and current instructions on the street.

Earlier travel arrangements need their own dates checked. Background reports on the October 31 road restrictions, the October platform changes at Banaras station and the Varanasi City to Rajatalab local train service concern separate passenger arrangements. None supplies a fresh closure timetable for the November 4 policing instruction.