Chaotic situation at Delhi border points after truck entry ban
By PTI | Published: 15th November 2017 08:15 PM |
Last Updated: 16th November 2017 12:42 AM | A+A A- |
A New Delhi traffic policeman talks to a bus driver at an intersection. (Photo | AP)
NEW DELHI: Long queues of commercial vehicles were witnessed today at various border points of Delhi leading to a chaotic situation, a day after the ban on the entry of trucks in the national capital was extended, officials said.
Several entry points, including the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) and the Delhi-Gurgaon toll plazas, were choked as vehicles queued up, a Transport Department official said.
"An estimated one lakh commercial vehicles pass through Delhi border per day. After the ban was invoked again yesterday, winding queues of trucks were witnessed at many of the border points," the official said.
"At Singhu Border in Narela, the queue of vehicles went all the way up to Panipat. The situation is chaotic," the official added.
Comments from the Noida Toll Bridge Co Ltd (NTBCL), which maintains the DND Flyway, were not immediately available.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) collects toll tax and Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) from vehicles at these border points.
"There are several toll collection points across the city. And, we are collecting ECC from the vehicles entering Delhi. Vehicles are piling up after the extension of the ban," he said.
As per the ban, authorities have asked the Delhi Traffic Police and civic bodies to prohibit the entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles, except those carrying essential commodities, in the national capital.
"Various CNG vehicles and vehicles adhering to green norms are also stuck in the queue," the transport department official said.
The ban on the entry of trucks in the national capital was yesterday extended till further orders due to fluctuating levels of air pollution.
A senior Delhi Traffic Police, when contacted said, "We had intimated the adjoining districts to divert the trucks coming towards Delhi and they did the needful." The ban on the entry of trucks in Delhi was earlier imposed by authorities from 11 PM on November 9 after the pollution levels touched 'severe plus' category. The ban had expired at 11 PM on November 12.
As per the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) implemented in Delhi, the ban on entry of trucks in Delhi comes into force when PM2.5 levels cross 300 microgramme per metre cube and PM10 levels rise over 500 microgramme per meter cube.
