NEW DELHI: At least 8,000 trucks are stranded at the city borders and in the National Capital Region since their entry was banned in Delhi till November 21 over concerns on pollution, according to All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).
Meanwhile, the traffic police issued an advisory on Thursday asking all the associations/unions of truck operators, owners and drivers to make arrangements on their own for proper parking and halting of trucks without creating any traffic congestion.
Following the Commission for Air Quality Management's suggestions on Tuesday night, the city government on Wednesday banned the entry of all trucks (except those carrying essentials) coming from other states.
AIMTC president Kultaran Singh Atwal asserted 8,000 trucks were stranded at the major city borders including Kondli and Faridabad. "There was no prior intimation of the ban to the association. Trucks from far-off places such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gujarat, which took off before the ban came into place, are now stranded. While some have lined up at the borders, others are parked near hotels around 100 km from Delhi to avoid causing congestion," he said.
No prior information of such order and even provisions of food and water for drivers and parking are provided by the governments, he complained. The association has written to CM Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia to look into these concerns and allow relaxation on penalties and make provisions of basic facilities at the borders.
Truck operators said a major headache is the penalty they have to pay in case their GST e-way bill (the duration allowed for a truck to be in transit) expires. For instance, 200 km drive is allowed to trucks on a single day. For those coming to Delhi from far-off, a seven-day period is allowed.
"The ban lasts five days and for those starting off before that, the e-way bill will expire. The penalty on this for a single truck runs into `15-20 lakh. If one owns a fleet, which is in transit, it can run into crores of rupees," said Atwal.
In its November 17 letter, the AIMTC has demanded that the Delhi government must take up the matter with the finance ministry for extending the validity of e-way bills that expire on or after November 16 for at least 10 days.
(Inputs from Gayathri Mani)