A day after the ban on the entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles by the Environment Pollution (prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) was extended till November 12, the Noida-Delhi borders saw hundreds of trucks being re-routed.

Close to 50 trucks were parked just before the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway toll plaza, after being denied entry into the national capital. This led to slow vehicular movement near Film City in Sector 16A, Noida, as the left exit to get on to the flyway was jammed with tailback till Dalit Prerna Sthal on Sunday afternoon.

At the DND Flyway, commuters going towards Delhi had to wade through heavy traffic as long queues of trucks had left little space for vehicular movement.

“I was at the DND entry point around 12.30pm and it took me 15 to 20 minutes to cross the stretch because the trucks that were lined up on the carriageway towards Delhi had virtually left us no space to move,” a commuter, who was stuck in the jam, said.

The Noida Traffic Police asked the drivers of over 100 trucks to park their vehicles on the stretch of road connecting Okhla Bird Sanctuary Metro station to the HCL building in Sector 126, Noida, which is usually deserted on weekends.

AK Jha, superintendent of police (traffic), Gautam Budh Nagar, said, “Most trucks entering Delhi from Noida use the Kalindi Kunj bridge; that is why we asked the truck drivers to park their vehicles on the stretch of road near Okhla Bird Sanctuary Metro station. A Noida Traffic Police team has been stationed at the HCL trisection on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway where trucks are being re-directed to the Amity University road stretch. Moreover, another team has been stationed under the Mahamaya Flyover to stop trucks from Greater Noida from entering Delhi via the Kalindi Kunj bridge.”

According to Delhi Traffic Police, 609 heavy vehicles were turned away from important entry points last night, while 734 trucks carrying essential goods were allowed to enter the city.

When asked, civic body officials, who have been tasked with enforcing the ban, said that heavy traffic was caused because of the checking of trucks carrying essential goods. “It takes at least five to seven minutes to check whether a truck is really carrying essential goods. We not only check the vehicle thoroughly, but also verify the documents pertaining to goods being carried,” an SDMC official said. There are 124 big and small entry points at border areas.

The ban was enforced on November 8 as a measure to control the increasing levels of air pollution in Delhi. On Saturday, it was extended by two days because of ‘severe’ air quality in the city. However, vehicles carrying essential goods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, eggs, ice etc., and tankers carrying petroleum products were exempted from the ban.

First Published: Nov 12, 2018 09:44 IST