Barricades set up on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway; 200 trucks diverted away from Capital

Police set up checkpoints at Shankar Chowk, two kilometres before the Sirhaul toll plaza, Bilaspur, Bijwasan, Bajghera and Manesar. These points connect to industrial areas and witness heavy movement of trucks, said police

A day after the Delhi government issued an order banning the entry of heavy vehicles into the Capital till November 21, Gurugram police on Thursday set up barricades at 10 locations in the district and diverted trucks through KMP Expressway towards other states. Police said that at least 200 trucks that were on their way to Delhi via Gurugram were diverted from Shankar Chowk on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway on Thursday, in compliance with the measures announced to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the National Capital Region.

A truck seen parked in Sarita vihar in Delhi on Thursday. Gurugram police have also asked neighbouring districts – Nuh, Rewari and Jhajjar – to not allow heavy vehicles and re-route them via KMP Expressway. (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

Sanjeev Balhara, assistant commissioner of police (traffic), said, “Drivers of around 500 trucks were asked to bypass the routes at Bilaspur and Manesar via KMP Expressway. We have set up checkpoints and deployed teams at all locations where heavy vehicles enter the expressway. At least 300 personnel are deployed at the borders and are checking all vehicles to ensure only vehicles carrying essential commodities enter the city,” he said. Police said heavy vehicles that had already entered Gurugram were sent back from Shankar Chowk after taking a U-turn.

Police set up checkpoints at Shankar Chowk, two kilometres before the Sirhaul toll plaza, Bilaspur, Bijwasan, Bajghera and Manesar. These points connect to industrial areas and witness heavy movement of trucks, said police.

Gurugram police have also asked neighbouring districts – Nuh, Rewari and Jhajjar – to not allow heavy vehicles and re-route them via KMP Expressway.

Traffic police said their staff is deployed in two shifts at KMP Expressway and 11 borders connecting Delhi to check the movement of heavy vehicles.

However, a spot check by HT on Thursday showed that its enforcement remained lax at several border points as trucks went past tolls without any checks.

At the Badarpur border, the toll collectors said that they were not aware of any directions to stop the entry of trucks coming into the city from Haryana. A toll collector said that around 20-25 trucks bearing Haryana registration had crossed the borders by Thursday afternoon.

“Since morning, trucks are moving freely here. We are not aware of any restrictions and we have not been directed to check the vehicles before letting them pass,” said Sanjeev Kumar, who was stationed at the Badarpur toll booth on Thursday afternoon.

This HT reporter saw at least five trucks bearing Haryana registration cross over to the Delhi side from Haryana.

A few metres away from the toll, the driver of a medium-sized parked truck bearing a Haryana number plate, said, “I am on my way back. I am not aware of any restriction.”

Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the contribution from trucks in Delhi’s air has reduced over the last couple years due to the expressways, but they are still one of the biggest polluters in the vehicle segment.

“These are heavy duty vehicles, and trucks enter Delhi in the night when temperatures are low and these emissions can stay trapped in the air till the next day. In our analysis in 2015, we found that trucks were contributing to around 30% of the total pollution due to vehicles,” she said.

Tanushree Ganguly, Programme Lead at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), said while the ban on entry of trucks into Delhi was a good move, there also needs to be a restriction on the movement of private vehicles in order to complement the ban.

“Cutting down intra-city vehicular traffic would not only reduce vehicular exhaust emissions but also contribute to reducing re-suspended dust and idling emissions,” she said.

Construction sites asked to take measures

Traffic police also said that no vehicle from outside or within Gurugram will be permitted to transport any construction material until November 21. They have formed at least 30 teams to keep a check on construction sites and directed contractors to sprinkle water on construction material at their sites.

ACP (traffic) Balhara said that according to National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines, regular sprinkling of water is essential and tarpaulin sheets must be placed above dust mounds at construction sites. “We called all contractors at construction sites and directed them to not violate NGT orders. If anyone is found violating rules and regulations, they will be penalised and their work will be stopped with immediate effect,” he said.

With inputs from Soumya Pillai