With the working week about to begin, thousands of commuters and transporters in Gurugram are preparing for a difficult Monday. On Sunday, the first day of Delhi’s restrictions on older vehicles, NH-48 remained congested for nearly five to six hours.
Motorists heading towards the national capital were stuck in a queue stretching up to 5 km from the Sarhaul toll plaza. The congestion spread across the Shankar Chowk flyover, the main carriageway and the adjoining service road. Around 50 personnel from the Gurugram Traffic Police and Haryana Police were deployed at the border to inspect vehicles one by one, further slowing traffic movement.
Delhi has barred petrol and diesel vehicles registered outside the national capital from entering if they do not meet BS-VI emission standards. This includes BS-III and BS-IV models. The restriction will remain in force from November 1 to January 31. On paper, Delhi-registered vehicles are exempt. However, commuters and personnel on duty said even Delhi-registered petrol and diesel vehicles below BS-VI standards were being turned back. Several motorists also shared accounts of the checks on social media.
Transporters stand to be among the worst affected. An estimated 60,000 commercial vehicles from Gurugram could be barred from entering Delhi, putting around Rs 10,000 crore worth of goods moving through the NCR at risk. The Gurugram Transport Association said roughly one-fifth of the region’s commercial vehicles, including taxis, buses and trucks, would be affected.
Operators said they would comply with the restrictions and shift to BS-VI vehicles. The association, however, cautioned that such vehicles were in short supply, which could delay deliveries across the NCR by two to three days.
Gurugram district has around 1.5 lakh BS-IV cars, of which roughly 40,000 are diesel vehicles, making diesel owners the worst affected. Daily commuters and traders travelling between the two cities will also feel the impact.
Police teams have been deployed at five points along the Gurugram-Delhi border to check the registration certificates (RCs) and Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates of BS-IV vehicles heading towards Delhi. Vehicles found violating the norms are liable to be seized. Separately, the existing age limits of 15 years for petrol vehicles and 10 years for diesel vehicles continue to be enforced.
Sunday’s gridlock was further aggravated by more than 100 buses ferrying Congress workers to Gurugram for the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest called by Rahul Gandhi. Led by Raj Babbar, protesters pushed aside barricades, briefly allowing vehicles to pass before the police restored them.
Commuters have been advised to keep their RC and PUC documents handy and allow extra travel time on Monday morning.
