Delhi-Haryana border clogged as new pollution curbs cause long queues; severe congestion also in Noida | Today’s news
New winter pollution restrictions in Delhi caused heavy traffic jams on the capital’s borders on Sunday as vehicles queued for emission checks. The traffic snarl coincided with worsening air quality, with Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 261 in the ‘poor’ category – the season’s worst so far and the highest in 198 days.
Heavy traffic jams were reported at several entry points, particularly along the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida borders, where traffic police and enforcement personnel checked vehicles entering the state capital.
Long queues formed at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) toll booths and other entry points across the National Capital Region (NCR). Commuters faced bumper-to-bumper traffic as officials stopped vehicles that did not meet the prescribed emission standards.
Read also | GRAP Delhi vehicle ban from November 1: Which cars are allowed to enter, which are banned?
Delhi AQI at 261; Jahangirpuri records the worst reading
Delhi’s AQI was at 261 on Sunday, matching the value recorded on July 12. The index last breached the 250 mark on April 17, when it was at 263.
Of the 57 air quality monitoring stations across the city, 22 recorded “very poor” air quality, while 21 were in the “poor” category. The remaining 14 stations reported “moderate” air quality.
Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 378, approaching the ‘severe’ category which starts at 401. PM2.5 was the predominant pollutant in the state capital.
The deterioration occurred on the first day of a series of special winter pollution control measures. These include restrictions on vehicles registered outside Delhi meeting BS-IV emission norms or above, ban on dust-producing outdoor construction activities, doubling of parking charges and a 50% cap on physical attendance in government and private offices.
The measures will remain in place for various periods between November 1 and February 28. They are intended to reduce vehicle emissions, dust pollution and traffic congestion during the winter months.
Read also | Delhi-NCR: Construction work will be banned for 16 days
250 employees, 39 teams deployed to enforce restrictions
Enforcement teams carry out round-the-clock inspections to ensure compliance. Vehicles violating the restrictions are identified using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at entry points and other key locations.
The Delhi traffic department has deployed around 250 enforcement personnel at key entry points, toll plazas and identified pollution hotspots.
A total of 39 teams were deployed at 13 major toll plazas including DND, Rajokri on NH-48, Ghazipur, Singhu Border, Tikri and Badarpur.
Officials have been ordered to crack down on vehicles that do not comply with the restrictions. This includes issuance of e-challans and seizure of vehicles as per the rules.
Commuters question the effectiveness of Delhi’s pollution curbs
The traffic jam has also sparked reactions on social media, with commuters expressing frustration with long lines at the border and questioning whether the restrictions will lead to meaningful improvements in air quality.
“If you are traveling to Delhi in the next few days, you will have to bear the brunt of this type of traffic. Plan accordingly. Air quality in Delhi-NCR will get zero improvement with this move,” the social media user wrote.
Another commuter said: “Stuck at the Delhi border for three hours. What’s the point of even coming? The event I was supposed to attend was already halfway through. These restrictions are meant to reduce pollution, but commuters remain trapped in endless traffic jams. And the funny thing is, it may not even be effective in improving air quality.”
Construction bans, higher parking fees and work-from-home measures
Winter restrictions also prohibit dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activities from November 1 to January 31. Exceptions are established essential public infrastructure projects under prescribed conditions.
A complete ban on construction and demolition activities will also be imposed from December 10 to January 20, except for specified exceptions.
Parking charges at authorized parking lots in Delhi have been doubled from November 1 to February 28. Government and private offices have also been asked to limit physical attendance to 50%, with the remaining staff working from home. Basic and emergency services are exempt from attendance restrictions.
As part of the measure aimed at reducing traffic congestion, MCD offices will function from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, while Delhi government offices will function from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm.
Transport accounts for 16.4% of Delhi’s share of pollution
According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality management, emissions from transport accounted for 16.4% of Delhi’s pollution contribution on Sunday.
Estimates put the share of Delhi industry at 3%, residential resources at 4%, construction at 2.2%, power at 1.2%, road dust at 1.2% and other sectors at 1.1%.
Among neighboring NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 9.2% to Delhi’s pollution, followed by Gurugram 4.8%, Bhiwani 2.7%, Rohtak 2.2% and Bulandshahr 0.3%, according to DSS estimates.
According to estimates, stubble burning contributed as much as 18.5% to Delhi’s pollution, while other sectors contributed 24.3%.
Delhi Air Quality Forecast: Poor to Very Poor Outlook
The Air Quality Early Warning System has predicted that the air quality in Delhi is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category from November 2 to November 3. The outlook for the next six days suggests air quality is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ categories.
With the onset of winter and pollution levels expected to remain elevated, the effectiveness of the new restrictions will be closely monitored in the coming days. The traffic jam at the Delhi border has already raised questions about traffic enforcement and management, as well as the impact of the measures on commuters.
