NEW DELHI: Delhi Traffic Police has intensified vehicle checks at city borders in view of the curbs put in place to enforce pollution-control restrictions.
The northern range traffic team has checked 7,657 vehicles and sent 609 non-compliant vehicles back from the city’s borders from 12 am to midnight on November 1 and from 12 pm to 2 pm on November 2.
In strict compliance with the guidelines issued by the government under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), restricting the entry of vehicles below BS-VI emission standards into the city, traffic police have intensified checking at various border points.
According to the officials, the Traffic Police has started action on GRAP restrictions and also held a coordination meeting with neighbouring districts. Officials said on Sunday, from 12 am to 8 pm, a total of 7,279 vehicles were checked across the capital. Out of these, 10 were challenged, 714 returned from the borders, and 38 were impounded.
Special enforcement teams were deployed at the borders to ensure effective implementation of the prescribed restrictions. Heavy congestion was reported at some entry points, including Delhi-Gurugram, Delhi-Noida, Delhi-Ghaziabad, Delhi-Sonipat and Delhi-Najafgarh borders, as enforcement teams checked vehicles for compliance with the prescribed emission standards.
The Delhi-Gurugram border witnessed particularly heavy congestion, with traffic on NH-48 remaining backed up for several kilometres near the Sirhaul toll plaza. The snarls also affected the main carriageway and service roads.
The restrictions came into effect on November 1 as part of the winter pollution-control measures. Under the new arrangement, petrol and diesel vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not comply with BS-VI emission standards are barred from entering the national capital.
Electric and CNG vehicles, along with BS-VI-compliant vehicles, have been exempted from the restrictions.
The measures aim to curb vehicular emissions during the winter months, when air pollution levels in the national capital typically rise.