Gopal Rai urges UP, Haryana to ensure trucks use peripheral expressways

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday wrote to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana transport ministers requesting them to ensure that trucks carrying non-essential goods are diverted through peripheral expressways to avoid traffic jams at the capital's borders.

He urged that all the non-destined vehicles should be diverted through Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway right at their entry points before Delhi Border.

Earlier in the day, during a press conference, Rai had expressed concerns over the negligence in the implementation of the ban on the entry of polluting trucks into Delhi at smaller entry points.

He said the government will write a letter to the Delhi transport commissioner, urging them to plug the gaps.

Rai had said he would also write to the transport ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, asking them to issue directions to divert trucks carrying non-essential goods on peripheral expressways to avoid traffic jams at the capital's borders.

The minister's observations came a day after cabinet ministers of Delhi government visited various border points of the national capital.

In his letter to transport ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, Rai wrote, "...During the visit of cabinet ministers of Govt. of NCT of Delhi on various Delhi Borders in the night of November 9, it was noticed that non destined vehicles, which were supposed to be diverted through the Eastern and Western Peripheral ways are entering through the border and plying via Delhi for their out of Delhi destinations, causing vehicular air pollution in Delhi."

"In this regard, it is requested that directions be issued to the concerned to ensure that all the non-destined vehicles should be diverted through Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway right at their entry points before Delhi Border. Accordingly, additional enforcement teams may be deployed at all the Entry Points to Peripheral ways to ensure the implementation of the aforesaid directions," read the letter.

Under the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, only CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant vehicles from other states are allowed to enter Delhi, with exemptions granted to those involved in essential services. GRAP categorises actions in four stages: stage I - 'poor' (AQI 201-300); stage II - 'very poor' (AQI 301-400); stage III - 'severe' (AQI 401-450); and stage IV - 'severe plus' (AQI >450).

Intermittent rain led to a rapid improvement in Delhi's air quality on Friday and cleared the suffocating haze that had been lingering for more than 10 days.