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Motorists cause pile-up at Delhi-Gurugram borders after being denied access
Confusion and traffic congestion prevailed at the defunct Sirhaul toll plaza and 10 other Delhi-Gurugram borders on Monday morning as the capital and parts of Haryana
Confusion and traffic congestion prevailed at the defunct Sirhaul toll plaza and 10 other Delhi-Gurugram borders on Monday morning as the capital and parts of Haryana came under lockdown from Monday. The logjam lasted from 7am to 5.30pm, delaying the movement of vehicles engaged in essential services and people exempt from the lockdown.
Delhi and Gurugram are under lockdown until March 31 to prevent the community spread of coronavirus. Barricades were placed at the toll plaza and other borders, restricting the movement of vehicles on both carriageways. Ambulances were given priority and allowed to pass through quickly.
However, hundreds of commuters lined up their four-wheelers and two-wheelers to cross into Delhi. Commuters got into a tiff with the police personnel, after being denied entry, and many were also spotted shouting at the police.
Satish Dagar, sub-inspector of Gururgam Police, deployed at the Sirhaul toll, said, “After checking the details of the commuters, we asked most of them to turn around. Shockingly, around 70% of the people had no reason to visit Delhi and were only on the roads to see what was happening at the borders.”
The police commissioner of Gurugram, Muhammad Akil, said the challenge is to control unnecessary vehicular movement. “Our teams have only allowed doctors, police personnel, medical and sanitary staff, media professionals or any others carrying valid documents to establish their movement. Others were asked to return, due to which they blocked the road and did not those behind to move or even reverse their vehicle. The borders are seized for unnecessary movements,” he said.
The Delhi Police said that only those heading towards the airport, hospitals, banks, forces and media were allowed to move. “We allowed only those who work in banks or are residents of Delhi and working in any emergency services. Gurugram residents are not allowed to cross if they have no valid reason,” said Sanjay Rawat, inspector, Vasant Kunj police station, Delhi.
The police also stopped shared taxis and autorickshaws, which were ferrying more than five people, and asked commuters to deboard. However, commuters were seen boarding the vehicles again after crossing the border.
The traffic pile-ups delayed the movement of many who are engaged in essential services.
Dr Neeraja Thakur, a city-based doctor, was stuck at Sirhaul border, said it took her more than 20 minutes to cross the stretch. “People were not even letting essential services’ vehicles pass and were arguing with the police. Many were contending that they also be allowed to cross the border with such vehicles,” she said, adding that ambulances were also stuck.
The Gurugram Police blamed the motorists for the delay, while the Delhi Police blamed a lack of coordination from their Gurugram counterparts.
“The Gurugram Police did not strictly prohibit vehicular movement. They allowed some unchecked vehicles towards Delhi. The chaos could have been avoided if they had strictly checked all vehicles and asked unnecessary ones to return. Failing this, the burden fell on us,” said Rawat.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), Gurugram, said that more than 1,500 personnel have been deployed across the city and at the borders. “No vehicle is allowed without being checked. It took nine hours to control the situation on Monday. We have requested people to remain indoors and not to move around the city unnecessarily,” he said.
Starting Tuesday, the police have been directed not to let any motorist cross the city border if s/he does not have complete identification and registration documents of the vehicle, and a valid reason to cross.
Akil has directed the police to deploy extra force 11 border checkpoints, connecting the city with Delhi, Rajasthan and other parts of Haryana. “As many as 84 checkpoints and booths have been set up across the city to control the situation and ensure people do not move in large groups,” he said.
Commuters said that those with genuine reasons were also denied entry. “My nephew died in a road accident at Hero Honda Chowk on March 20. I was called to collect the post-mortem report, but the police did not let me cross the border. I cried and pleaded, as I had to submit these documents for the insurance process. I had shown them the case documents, but they refused. I was able to cross the Faridabad border after waiting for three hours, despite having shown the medical reports,” said Yash Rathore, a Faridabad resident.
The 11 access points to Delhi from Gurugram:
