Varanasi traffic police have ordered diversions on several of the city's busiest approach roads from 11 am on Wednesday, 7 October, with intercity buses turned back at Harhua and the Amra-Akhari underpass, large vehicles kept away from Jagatpur, and further curbs on autos, e-rickshaws and cars in the old city from 4 pm.
The order, issued by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anshuman Mishra, is tied to the visit of BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Assam chief minister, who are expected at a public meeting at Jagatpur. The restrictions stay in force until the programme ends. No fixed closing time has been given, so drivers should expect the arrangements to run into the evening.
The biggest change is for buses on the Babatpur road. From 11 am, roadways and private buses coming from the Babatpur side towards the Harhua overbridge will not be allowed past the flyover. Police will divert them at the Harhua Ring Road crossing towards Parampur.
Buses arriving from Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Azamgarh can come as far as the Harhua Ring Road underpass. From there they will be sent via Parampur and Lohta to the Chandpur crossing, a longer loop around the western edge of the city. Passengers heading for the cantonment area or the old city on these routes should plan for a later arrival than the timetable shows.
On the Mohansarai side, cars and larger vehicles coming through the underpass will not be allowed to head towards Jagatpur Degree College. They will be sent towards Akhari and Rakhauna instead. At the Chandpur crossing, large vehicles will be stopped from going towards Jagatpur and pushed towards Lohta and Parampur. Buses coming from the Amra-Akhari underpass will not enter the city at all and will be routed towards Dafi.
Three-wheelers could also be pulled off some roads during the day. The order says that, if the need arises, autos and e-rickshaws will be barred on the stretch from Police Lines through Chaukaghat, Teliabagh and Maldahiya to Sigra, and on the road from Bhikharipur to Lahartara and Chandpur. Whether those curbs actually come into force will depend on conditions on the ground, so commuters who rely on shared autos along the Sigra and Lahartara belts may find themselves walking part of the way.
A second set of restrictions starts at 4 pm and covers the older, northern part of the city. Autos and e-rickshaws will be barred in the Lakdi Mandi Chaukaghat, Lahurabir, Maidagin and Vishweshwarganj area. Four-wheelers will not be allowed from the Vishweshwarganj tiraha towards Maidagin and will be sent towards Golgadda. Goods vehicles from the Rajghat bridge and Sujabad side will also be stopped from 4 pm.
There are changes in the south of the city too. Traffic coming from Sigra and Rathyatra towards the Sajan tiraha will be diverted via the Akashvani tiraha to Mahmoorganj. Vehicles moving from Manduadih towards Mahmoorganj will be sent via Kakarmatta and Bhikharipur. Lahartara, Sigra, Maidagin and Godowlia are among the stretches the traffic police expect to be affected.
Some of these roads were already struggling before Wednesday. Lahartara, Manduadih and the Akhari belt have been crawling for weeks, as Dalimss reported in its look at four Varanasi corridors jammed by slow road works. Diverted buses and cars landing on those same stretches could make the afternoon slower than usual.
For anyone travelling on Wednesday, a little extra margin will help. This is our general advice rather than part of the police order, but people flying out of Babatpur or catching trains at Varanasi Junction would do well to leave earlier than normal, especially if their route passes Harhua, Chandpur or Chaukaghat. Shopkeepers in the Maidagin and Vishweshwarganj markets who depend on afternoon deliveries may want to bring them forward before the 4 pm curbs on goods vehicles begin.
The order, as issued, does not list a traffic helpline or a fixed time for lifting the diversions. Drivers stuck at a barricade will have to follow the route given by the officers on duty there.
Wednesday's plan is also a preview of a busier fortnight. The Indian Air Force air show over the Ganga is due from 24 to 26 October, and the city has already announced its own restrictions for those days, laid out in our guide to the Varanasi air show dates, parking and rules.
The Chief Minister reviewed the arrangements for that event at Namo Ghat earlier this month, and the police set out how they would handle the crowds, as covered in the Namo Ghat air show review and police plan. Commuters who find Wednesday heavy going can expect more of the same later in October.
For now, the advice for Wednesday is short: avoid Harhua and Chandpur after 11 am if you can, keep out of Maidagin by car after 4 pm, and if you are coming in by bus from Jaunpur, Ghazipur or Azamgarh, expect the journey to end on the far side of the ring road.
