Delhi-NCR, interrupted: Day 2 of border troubles & tempers; detours only burn more fuel says commuters

NOIDA: Amit Kumar could not go back to Faridabad. Sachin Kumar could not return home to Dehradun. Manish Tripathi was told driving on the route he has been taking every day for years would incur a Rs 10,000 fine.

It was a second day of arguments and confusion at the capital's borders, where police continued to enforce Delhi govt's ban on non-BS 6 vehicles from other states, interrupting daily commutes and derailing another workday.




Traffic volume at the Kalindi Kunj, Chilla, DND and Ghazipur borders was, however, visibly lower on Friday compared to Thursday, when the ban was first implemented and led to traffic jams, possibly because some took the work-from-home option and some switched to metro.

But at borders that lakhs of vehicles travel between Delhi and NCR cities daily, it still left a very high number of troubled commuters as cops scanned the number series of each car and then asked for papers.

Driving back after a night shift at his office in Noida, Amit Kumar was told he could not proceed home to Faridabad. His Santro, a Haryana-registered BS 4 vehicle, was barred from entering Delhi. "I came to Noida on Thursday evening without any checking. Now they are not allowing me to go home," an incredulous Kumar said, adding he was advised to park his car at the nearby metro station and buy a train ticket for Faridabad.

Sachin Kumar, who had driven to Noida from Dehradun for a business meeting, also had a BS 4 car that was flagged down. "I was not aware that BS 4 vehicles are not allowed to enter Delhi," he said. The options given to him were to either cool his heels in Noida for a while or take a long detour via Eastern Peripheral Expressway to avoid passing through the capital.

"You want to cut down on pollution, and at the same time, make us drive many more kilometres on the road? How does that make sense?" another distraught commuter asked, only to be met by a poker face. Many had the same question: why force circuitous detours, burning double or more than usual fuel, if the point is to curb pollution?

At DND Flyway, police personnel stood near the toll plaza, stopping vehicles for inspection. "We are entering registration numbers into a mobile app to verify emission standards," a traffic cop said.

Tripathi, a Greater Noida West resident, said he was stopped on the Flyway while driving to his office in south Delhi. "I have a valid pollution under control (PUC) for my BS 4 Ertiga but police stopped me and threatened a Rs 10,000 challan before asking me to take a U-turn," he said. "This uncertainty has badly disrupted office commutes. Ad hoc enforcement cannot be a long-term solution."

Nilesh Sharma, a daily commuter to Delhi from the 7x sectors in the city, said contradictory instructions from Noida and Delhi police left him stranded on DND for nearly 20 minutes. Driving his BS 4 EcoSport to his office in ITO, he said he was told by Noida police that petrol BS 4 cars with a valid PUC were permitted, only for Delhi cops to stop him. "I had no option but to return home and take my bike," he said. "I reached office late, missed an important meeting and lost work hours. This lack of coordination is deeply frustrating — commuters are paying the price for official confusion."

Chilla border had two-tier barricading by Noida and Delhi police to screen vehicles entering the capital. Motorists said limited public awareness had added to the confusion.

Police officers acknowledged that the checks led to congestion but said traffic flow improved as the day progressed, thanks to fewer vehicles on the road. Noida DCP (traffic) Pravin Ranjan Singh said while non-compliant vehicles were told to turn back, fines were issued selectively, mainly when drivers argued with personnel or caused a disturbance during checks. "Some violators were fined up to Rs 10,000," he said.

By 6pm, police had fined 486 vehicles and forced 591 more to take U-turns from the Delhi entry points in Noida. Challans were issued to 207 other vehicles for violations of PUC norms.

In Delhi, traffic police checked at least 5,037 vehicles across 13 circles, turning back 419 and issuing 374 challans, officials said. Narela saw the highest number of checks at 1,682 vehicles, followed by Najafgarh (689) and Kapashera (518). Most vehicles were turned back from Najafgarh (134), while Shahdara topped the list for enforcement action, with 114 challans issued, followed by Mayur Vihar, Kapashera and Kalyanpuri.

Delhi ACP (traffic) Dinesh Kumar Gupta said the drive involved extensive preparation, with 37 Prakhar vans and over 500 personnel deployed at major borders and key stretches to enforce the order and guide motorists. Enforcement is expected to continue in the coming days, with officials urging commuters to check emission compliance before travel and use alternative routes or public transport where possible.

—With inputs from Ayantika Pal in Noida & Ishita Jairath in Delhi

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