COVID-19: Traffic jams at Delhi borders amid lockdown in national capital

Traffic jams were witnessed at all the Delhi borders on Monday amid a lockdown imposed in the national capital to restrict the movement of people to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Police barricaded roads and checked thoroughly those entering and leaving the national capital.

All borders neighbouring the satellite cities -- Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gurgoan -- witnessed traffic jams.

Harshjeet Singh, an IT employee and a resident of Gurgoan, said he had gone to pick up his wife from the Delhi airport and it took him more than one-and-a-half hours to cross the border.

"I had to pick up my wife from the airport who was coming from Pune as flights are being suspended from tomorrow. It took me over one-and-a-half hours to cross the border as there was intense checking," Singh said.

Another Gurgaon resident Somvir Singh who wanted to go to a hospital in Vasant Kunj said he was told by police to visit a medical facility in the millennium city.

"They were only allowing people who are Delhi residents to cross the Gurgaon border. It took me over an hour to actually reach the checking point on the border," he said.

A 26-year-old mechanical engineer, who was on his way to office in Palwal, had to drive back home after police personnel did not allow him to cross the border.

"As we deal in mechanical engineering, it is not possible for us to work from home. Today, we had a conference call with our senior and planned for the work post lockdown. But I had to drive back home as police did not allow me to cross the border," Rubal Sedhra said.

The lockdown in Delhi will continue till midnight on March 31. No public transport will operate and Delhi's borders will remain sealed during the lockdown, but the essential services related to health, food, water and power supply will continue.

The essential services excluded from restrictions include law and order, and magisterial duty, police, health, fire, prisons, fair price shops, electricity, water, municipal services, print and electronic media, teller operations including ATMs, food items, groceries, general provision stores, take-away delivery in restaurants, petrol pumps, LPG cylinder agencies, e-commerce of all essential goods.