3-day ban, over 400 trucks halted at Delhi border

NEW DELHI: Over 400 trucks were returned from Delhi’s borders on the first night as a three-day ban on entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles into the city kicked off on Friday. The ban had been enforced in light of the city’s deteriorating air quality.

On Thursday night, Delhi traffic cops turned away 445 trucks destined to the national Capital after 11pm, officials said.

However, 1,008 trucks were allowed to enter from 11pm on Thursday to 6am on Friday as they were carrying essential goods. Senior officials said implementation of the ban was easier this year as most of the heavy vehicles that earlier used Delhi as a transit route for their travel were now using the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE).

The coordination with the police departments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also helped in turning away most of the trucks before it reached Delhi borders, officials said. “We had ensured extra deployment at all entry points to ensure that the ban is implemented,” said Alok Kumar, joint commissioner of police (traffic). Kumar added that the numbers are likely to go down further during the weekend.

The Delhi government’s transport department had issued a notification regarding the threeday ban on Thursday after it received directions from the Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA). The government has also appealed to private diesel car owners to avoid using their vehicles during this period.

As per the notification, the entry of heavy and medium goods vehicles into Delhi was banned from 11pm on November 8 till 11pm on November 11. However, vehicles carrying vegetables, fruits, grains, milk, eggs, ice etc, and tankers carrying petroleum products are exempted.

Last year, EPCA had imposed a similar, but longer, ban. During that period, Delhi’s borders had turned into choke points as trucks were being turned away which resulted in long queues of trucks along entry points.