Coronavirus: Chaos, protests at Delhi-Gurugram border after Haryana government seals it

Several commuters, mostly on cycles, lodged protests after some of the cars were reportedly allowed to pass through the barricades unchecked.

Clusters of traffic jam clogged the road connecting Delhi and Gurugram on Friday morning, a day after the Haryana government decided to completely seal its borders with the national Capital, except for essential services, to contain the coronavirus outbreak, NDTV reported.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said the decision was taken in view of the rising cases of coronavirus in the state’s districts bordering the Capital. The state had already sealed the main roads connecting four districts – Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar – with Delhi. Anybody coming from Delhi is not allowed to enter Haryana unless they have an e-pass approved by the state’s home department.

Cyclists and pedestrians on the roads running between Delhi and Gurugram on Monday were seen mired in gridlock and hung up at countless spots, as the police stopped them from crossing over. Many of them lodged protests after some cars were reportedly allowed to pass through the barricades unchecked.

The protestors questioned why they were not allowed to move when other vehicles were crossing the border freely. A group of people on cycles, mostly workers, then blocked the road in protest. This led to snarls as cars started to pile up behind them.

Haryana has reported 1,504 cases of the coronavirus as of Friday, including 19 deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The state on Thursday witnessed its biggest single-day rise in Covid-19 infections with 123 cases, according to The Indian Express. Out of these, 92 cases were reported from three districts – Gurgaon with 68 cases, Faridabad with 18 and Sonipat with six.

Haryana had sealed its border with Delhi last month also. The government’s order had come after state Health Minister Vij said the people who worked in Delhi and stayed in Haryana had become “corona-carriers”.

On May 15, the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government gave an undertaking in the Delhi High Court that it would allow movement of people engaged in essential services, including frontline health workers, between the state and Delhi. The state government’s assurance came after the court asked it to remove travel restrictions imposed on its border with Delhi.

The court’s order came on a petition that said the state government was not allowing the movement of doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitation workers and the staff of Delhi Police, Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Jal Board, municipal corporations and courts between Haryana and the national Capital.