Chaos, confusion, traffic congestion as Kejriwal government seals Dehli borders

NEW DELHI: Hundreds of office-goers, those with valid e-passes and many with medical appointments were stuck for hours on the busy entry points of Delhi as its borders were sealed on Tuesday in view of the coronavirus outbreak, leading to chaos and traffic snarls.

Vehicles piled up and many people were seen reasoning with the police as they were not allowed to enter Delhi from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Police said they were only letting in the residents of the national capital and those having government-approved identification cards.

Some people were not even aware that the borders were sealed on Tuesday when the Delhi government had announced several relaxations in the lockdown norms starting Monday.Although falling in different states, Delhi and its satellite cities such as Gurgaon, Faridabad and others (in Haryana) and Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad among others (in Uttar Pradesh) are intertwined. A large number of people stay in these cities and work in Delhi and vice-versa.

At the Delhi-Gurgaon border, the traffic crawled and people complained they were not allowed despite what they said were “genuine” reasons for travel.On Monday, the Delhi government ordered sealing of the city borders for a week in the wake of rising virus cases.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also expressed apprehensions that people from other states will come to Delhi to avail of “best health services” amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and that may lead to a shortage of beds for the residents of the national capital.At the Delhi-Noida border several commuters were stuck on the DND flyway.The Delhi-Ghaziabad border too witnessed heavy traffic and chaos.