Delhi: The national capital witnessed massive traffic congestion at major entry points on Sunday as authorities introduced new winter anti-air pollution restrictions. This coincided with Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorating to 261, categorised as "poor", marking the worst reading of the season so far and the highest in 198 days.
Bumper-To-Bumper Congestion At Entry Points
Vehicles lined up in long queues along key entry routes, including the Delhi-Gurugram (NH-48) and Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) borders, as traffic police and enforcement personnel conducted checks on incoming traffic. Multi-kilometre jams were reported near MCD toll booths as officials stopped non-compliant vehicles, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Commuters Express Anger Over Heavy Congestion
The heavy traffic congestion triggered strong reactions online, with commuters taking to social media to express anger over delays and question the policy's actual impact.
"If you are travelling to Delhi in the next few days, you will have to bear the brunt of this type of traffic. Plan accordingly. Delhi-NCR's air quality will have zero improvement because of this step," posted one social media user.
Sharing the ordeal, another commuter wrote, "Three hours stuck at the Delhi border. What is the use of us even coming? The event I was supposed to attend was already halfway through. These restrictions are meant to reduce pollution, but commuters are being left stranded in endless traffic jams. And the funny thing is, it may not even prove effective in improving air quality."
AQI Turns Poor
The city-wide AQI of 261 matched levels last recorded on July 12. Out of 57 monitoring stations, 22 recorded "very poor" air quality, 21 logged "poor," and 14 recorded "moderate" levels. Jahangirpuri emerged as the worst-affected area with an AQI of 378, nearing the "severe" category (which begins at 401), driven primarily by PM2.5.
Delhi Anti-Pollution Measures Imposed
The rise in pollution coincided with a series of special winter control measures running from November 1 to February 28:
Vehicular Restrictions: Strict entry bans are in place for vehicles registered outside Delhi that conform to BS-IV or older emission standards. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and 250 enforcement personnel are monitoring 13 key toll plazas, including Ghazipur, Singhu, Tikri, and Badarpur, to issue e-challans and impound non-compliant vehicles.
Construction Bans: Dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activities are banned from November 1 to January 31, with essential public infrastructure projects exempted subject to prescribed conditions. A blanket ban on construction activities will be imposed from December 10 to January 20.
Workforce and Parking Adjustments: Parking fees at authorised parking lots have doubled till February 28. Physical attendance for public and private offices is capped at 50 per cent, with remaining employees working from home.
Staggered Office Timings: MCD offices now operate from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, while Delhi government offices function from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM to reduce peak-hour commuter volume.
Air Quality Outlook
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in the "poor" to "very poor" range over the coming week. With winter setting in and pollution levels expected to remain elevated, the effectiveness of the new restrictions will be closely watched in the coming days.
(With Inputs From PTI)