Ground Report: Long Queues, Traffic At Delhi Borders Amid BS-VI Curbs

As Delhi once again battles worsening air pollution with the advent of winters, the enforcement of restrictions on non-BS6 compliant petrol and diesel vehicles is triggering another problem on the city's borders - massive traffic congestion, long queues and vehicles left idling for hours.An NDTV ground report from two major entry points, Chilla and Ghazipur borders, on Tuesday captured the public view and the situation on the ground, with kilometre-long traffic jams and slow-moving vehicles as traffic police stopped vehicles for BS6 compliance checks and turned back those that did not meet the set norms.While the restrictions are aimed at reducing vehicular emissions in the national capital, the ground situation has raised questions about whether prolonged checking by the enforcement authorities and traffic congestion could be undermining the very objective of the exercise.Commuters stuck in the traffic told NDTV that the restrictions have added considerably to their daily travel time, resulting in increased fuel consumption and, consequently, more emissions.Prabhjyot, who was on his way to work, said the situation was far from ideal, particularly during the festive season when traffic volumes are already high.He said the additional travel time was adding to people's already hectic daily schedules, with vehicles being stopped repeatedly during their commute.At the Ghazipur border, another commuter, Avinash, highlighted how significantly his travel time had increased."Normally, it takes me 41 minutes to reach my office. Today, it is showing one hour and 20 minutes. Tell me, has my fuel consumption increased or not?" he asked, questioning how the restrictions would help in the long run if vehicles continued to remain stuck in traffic.He also pointed out that several vehicles travelling to and from Delhi were already BS6-compliant and questioned whether the current enforcement mechanism was an effective long-term solution.However, not all commuters were critical of the restrictions. Ashwani, who was also travelling through Ghazipur, said such policies take time to show results and should not be judged within just two days of implementation.He said he was aware of the restrictions beforehand and had planned his journey accordingly, adding that citizens should also be willing to contribute towards tackling pollution.At the Chilla border, commuter Ashok said his vehicle was stopped because it did not comply with BS6 norms. He was subsequently asked to turn back despite having a dental appointment.He suggested that instead of simply restricting older vehicles, the government should consider scrapping them and providing compensation to owners to help them purchase newer, environment-friendly vehicles.The scenes at both borders point to a difficult question for authorities: Can restrictions on polluting vehicles achieve their intended objective if their enforcement leaves hundreds of vehicles crawling or idling on the roads for hours?With Delhi's air quality continuing to remain in the very poor to severe category, curbing vehicular emissions is an important part of the pollution-control strategy. However, efficient traffic management and quicker verification at border points will be equally crucial.For commuters, the immediate concern is the additional time spent on the roads. But for a city already choking on toxic air, the larger question is whether an anti-pollution measure is inadvertently adding to the problem it was designed to solve.