Ghaziabad: Chhath fervour gripped Ghaziabad on Tuesday as local MP and Union minister Gen VK Singh (retired) and city mayor Asha Sharma showered flower petals on the devotees from a helicopter at Hindon Ghat in Sahibabad and other places.As many as 61 ghats were constructed for Chhath puja in the district. The maximum number of 15 ghats were constructed in Sahibabad area, followed by eight in Kavi Nagar, seven in Link Road, and six each in Indirapuram and Sihani Gate. Traffic diversions were put in place on GT Road, Meerut Road and other parts of the city. Heavy police deployment was witnessed at ghats with a large number of cops managing the traffic movement.In fact, the Hindon Barrage area was closed for vehicular traffic from 12 noon on Tuesday for Chhath puja celebrations. Vehicular traffic from Indirapuram towards old Ghaziabad was made to take a detour through Mohan Nagar along GT Road. This arrangement increased the load on GT Road in the evening, but no major snarls occurred till late in the evening.A senior traffic police official, Ramesh Tiwari, said, “No heavy vehicle is being allowed on GT Road. Traffic movement became slow for around an hour from 6 pm when devotees started going back to their homes. Traffic cops were deployed on both sides of the road to regulate traffic.Over the years, residents of highrises have started celebrating the festival inside their premises with swimming pools turning into the prayer area. This year was no different.“Almost all highrise societies in Indirapuram and Raj Nagar Extension have made arrangements for the festival at their swimming pools. It is not only hassle-free, but also give people to enjoy the festival. Otherwise, the entire time is wasted on roads in getting in and out of the ghats,” said Alok Kumar, president of Federation of Apartment Owners Association.In Noida, lakhs of devotees thronged the ghats of Kalindi Kunj and community ponds at various places, including Noida Stadium to perform puja.Intermittent snarls were witnessed at Yamuna bridge and on the link road between Mahamaya flyover and the bridge as devotees started retreating from the Kalindi Kunj ghats towards 6 pm. Although, heavy vehicles were not allowed on the Mahamaya-Kalindi route, the evening rush of private vehicles coupled with devotees exiting the ghats and approaching Noida via Noida-Delhi carriageway led to snarls on the route, police said.

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