Chaos & traffic jams at capital borders on Day 1 of Lockdown 4.0

Chaos & traffic jams at capital borders on Day 1 of Lockdown 4.0

Ritam Halder & Somreet Bhattacharya TNN

New Delhi: 19.05.2020

The Delhi-Noida border at Kalindi Kunj and DND Flyway witnessed chaos on Monday as commuters from the capital were denied entry into Uttar Pradesh over entry passes. People had stepped out in large numbers on the first day of lockdown 4.0, which ended in choking arterial roads from Noida and Ghaziabad in the morning.

Delhi traffic officers said office-goers had crowded the pickets as UP cops insisted on travel passes issued by the Noida DM. People without passes were asked to return, which led to traffic jams. The traffic tailback from DND stretched till Barapullah elevated road.

Earlier in the day, an advisory was issued warning commuters about UP police not allowing entry and that traffic was heavy on the stretches. “UP Police is allowing entry only for vehicles having movement pass issued by the Noida DM. People travelling from Delhi to Noida using Kalindi Kunj barrage flyover and DND Flyover may plan their trip accordingly,” Delhi Traffic Police had tweeted.

Air turns poor for the first time in 2 months

The city’s air turned “poor” for the first time in over two months on Monday, with the AQI at 206. Experts said it’s largely due to dust blowing from west Rajasthan. There’s been a rise in vehicular pollution since May 4 after the lockdown was eased. The air quality was “satisfactory” to “moderate” during the lockdown. P 4

Cops let off violators with warning on first day

In the first few hours, only those with movement passes were allowed entry by the UP police. The vigil was slightly relaxed later in the day. “We are allowing entry only to people with passes. Be it mediapersons or those engaged in essential services, all of them have got passes made. However, we are also allowing entry for some genuine cases,” said a Noida policeman.

However, no migrants were allowed to walk. “ Hum kisiko chalne nahi denge (We won’t let anyone walk). If they can arrange for a vehicle, they can leave once it comes. If they can’t, we will send them to shelter homes,” a policeman on duty at DND told TOI.

All trucks and tempos were thoroughly checked to see if they were ferrying people. Many migrants were seen waiting near the border for transport to go back to their hometowns. Some were hungry for days and water bottles and biscuit packets distributed by police came as a welcome relief.

Mohammad Wasim Shah

(28), who was waiting with his wife and two kids near DND to go to JP Nagar, said, “We have been surviving on water since yesterday. We have little money left and there are no cheap joints from where I can buy food. The children are facing the worst situation. It’s difficult to see them hungry.”

Shah, a barber, had come with 21 others by road from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra. “We started on Friday and reached Delhi this morning. A relative is helping us. We are waiting for the three cars booked by him so that we can reach home by evening,” he added.

A native of Katihar in Bihar, Sarfaraz Alam (25) was also stopped by police and asked to wait. The former security guard at a Malviya Nagar construction site kept pleading that he and two others from his native place have arranged for a vehicle, which was waiting for them at Noida Sector 62. But he was told to wait or he would be sent to a shelter home in Sector 19.

Rameshwar (50) said, “We live in a nearby slum. I have been searching for a way to reach Gurgaon. From there, me and a few others will go to our hometown in Jharkhand.”

Meanwhile, Delhi Traffic Police said there was a 40% spike in the vehicle volume from the usual 12,000-15,000 during the previous phases of the lockdown. Specially hired buses and autorickshaws were seen plying on a few stretches like Aurobindo Marg and MB Road.

Cops deployed at pickets remained on the vigil for vehicles carrying more than the prescribed number of passengers. Many cars were found carrying more than two passengers. Twowheelers were the biggest violators as most of them had pillion riders. Being the first day of the relaxation, most of them were let off with a stern warning. Drivers found violating rules despite warnings were booked under Section 188 CrPC.

The traffic jams are expected to increase as autorickshaws, buses and cabs have now been allowed to ply. Even though vehicle checking will continue, the number of pickets across the city might be reduced based on traffic volume on Tuesday. “We will be cracking down on people found roaming without a purpose,” said a senior police officer.