New Delhi: Delhi witnessed heavy traffic congestion at several border points on Sunday, November 1, as the national capital implemented its new winter anti-pollution restrictions. Long queues formed at major entry points, particularly along the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida borders, where traffic police and enforcement teams conducted checks on vehicles entering the city.
The restrictions came into force as Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the poor category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 261. It was the highest reading recorded in 198 days and the worst level of the current season so far.
Commuters faced bumper-to-bumper traffic near Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) toll booths and other entry points across the National Capital Region (NCR). Enforcement personnel stopped vehicles that did not meet the prescribed emission standards, resulting in long waiting times for people travelling into the capital.
The winter measures are intended to reduce vehicular emissions, dust pollution and traffic congestion during the months when Delhi typically faces worsening air quality. However, the congestion on the first day of implementation raised questions among commuters about the impact of the restrictions and the arrangements made to enforce them.
Delhi records season’s worst air quality
Delhi’s AQI stood at 261 on Sunday, placing the city in the poor category. The reading matched the level recorded on July 12. Before Sunday, the AQI had last crossed 250 on April 17, when it stood at 263.
Data from the city’s 57 air quality monitoring stations showed that pollution levels varied across different areas. As many as 22 monitoring stations recorded very poor air quality, while 21 reported readings in the poor category. The remaining 14 stations recorded moderate air quality.
Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 378, approaching the severe category, which begins at 401. PM2.5 was the predominant pollutant in the national capital.
The deterioration coincided with the introduction of additional winter pollution-control measures. These include restrictions on certain older vehicles registered outside Delhi, curbs on construction and demolition activities, increased parking charges and reduced physical attendance in government and private offices.
The measures will remain in force for different periods between November 1 and February 28, depending on the specific restriction.
Vehicles face checks at Delhi-NCR entry points
One of the key measures involves restrictions on vehicles registered outside Delhi that comply with only BS-IV or older emission standards.
To enforce the rules, the Delhi transport department has deployed around 250 personnel at major entry points, toll plazas and identified pollution hotspots. Enforcement teams are conducting checks round the clock to identify vehicles that do not meet the prescribed requirements.
A total of 39 teams have been stationed at 13 major toll plazas. These include the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway, Rajokri on National Highway 48, Ghazipur, Singhu border, Tikri and Badarpur.
Authorities are also using automatic number plate recognition cameras installed at entry points and other important locations to identify vehicles violating the restrictions.
Officials have been instructed to take action against non-compliant vehicles under the applicable rules. The measures include issuing electronic challans and impounding vehicles wherever required.
The increased checks led to long queues at several locations, with commuters reporting delays while attempting to enter Delhi. Congestion was particularly noticeable at toll booths and major connecting roads linking the capital with neighbouring NCR cities.
Commuters express frustration over long queues
The traffic situation triggered reactions on social media, with several commuters complaining about delays and questioning whether the restrictions would lead to a significant improvement in air quality.
One social media user warned people planning to travel to Delhi over the next few days to prepare for similar congestion. The user also questioned the effectiveness of the restrictions, claiming that the measures might not bring any meaningful improvement to Delhi-NCR’s air quality.
Another commuter said they had spent three hours stuck at the Delhi border and reached their destination after the event they intended to attend had already begun.
The commuter questioned the impact of the restrictions, pointing out that measures intended to reduce pollution had left people stranded in long traffic queues.
These reactions reflect the immediate difficulties faced by commuters on the first day of enforcement. They also highlight the challenge of balancing pollution-control measures with the need to maintain smooth movement across Delhi’s busy entry points.
Construction and demolition activities face restrictions
The winter pollution-control plan also targets dust generated by construction and demolition work.
All dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activities have been prohibited from November 1 to January 31. Specified essential public infrastructure projects may continue subject to prescribed conditions.
A more comprehensive ban on construction and demolition activities, barring specified exemptions, will be imposed from December 10 to January 20.
These restrictions are intended to limit the amount of dust released into the atmosphere during the winter pollution season. Construction and road dust are among the sources monitored as part of Delhi’s air pollution management efforts.
Authorities will have to ensure that construction sites and exempted projects comply with the applicable conditions during the restriction period.
Parking charges doubled and offices shift to hybrid working
Parking charges at authorised parking facilities across Delhi have been doubled from November 1 to February 28.
The increase is intended to discourage unnecessary private vehicle use and encourage commuters to consider alternative modes of transport. It forms part of the wider effort to reduce traffic movement and vehicular emissions during the winter months.
Government and private offices have also been asked to limit physical attendance to 50 per cent. The remaining employees are expected to work from home.
Essential and emergency services have been exempted from the attendance restrictions.
The Delhi government has also introduced different office timings for municipal and state government employees to help reduce traffic congestion during peak hours.
Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices will function from 8.30 am to 5 pm, while state government offices will operate from 10 am to 6.30 pm.
The staggered timings are intended to spread commuter movement across different periods of the day and reduce pressure on major roads.
Transport and stubble burning contribute to pollution
Estimates from the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality management showed that transport emissions accounted for 16.4 per cent of Delhi’s pollution contribution on Sunday.
Other local sources also contributed to the pollution load. Delhi’s industries accounted for 3 per cent, residential sources for 4 per cent and construction activities for 2.2 per cent. Energy contributed 1.2 per cent, road dust another 1.2 per cent and other sectors 1.1 per cent.
Pollution from neighbouring NCR districts also contributed to Delhi’s overall air quality.
According to the DSS estimates, Jhajjar accounted for 9.2 per cent of the pollution contribution, followed by Gurugram at 4.8 per cent, Bhiwani at 2.7 per cent, Rohtak at 2.2 per cent and Bulandshahr at 0.3 per cent.
Stubble burning contributed up to 18.5 per cent, while other sectors accounted for 24.3 per cent of the pollution, the estimates showed.
The figures indicate that Delhi’s air quality is influenced by several sources, including local transport, industrial activity, construction, agricultural residue burning and pollution from surrounding districts.
Air quality likely to remain poor in coming days
The Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the poor category from November 2 to November 3.
The outlook for the following six days suggests that conditions could remain between the poor and very poor categories.
With winter setting in and pollution levels expected to remain elevated, the effectiveness of the new restrictions will be closely monitored. Authorities will face the challenge of enforcing vehicle and construction-related rules while ensuring that traffic movement at the city’s borders does not become increasingly difficult.
The first day of implementation has already exposed concerns over congestion and commuter inconvenience. Whether the measures can deliver a meaningful improvement in air quality while keeping Delhi’s roads moving will become clearer in the coming weeks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Karnataka staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)