Chaos along border as Haryana enforces curbs on movement

Police out in force in the morning but by evening traffic was moving unhindered

Commuters headed towards Gurugram on National Highway-48 had a harrowing time on Friday morning with Gurugram Police ensuring strict implementation of restrictions on cross-border movement, allowing only those with valid passes.

Chaos and confusion prevailed on the border near Ambience Mall for hours.

The Delhi Police also put up barricades on the Gurugram-Delhi carriageway of the national highway in the morning choking the traffic. However, the barricades put up by the Delhi Police were unmanned and no checking was being carried out.

Gurugram Police, however, scaled up checking of vehicles at the Delhi-Gurugram border after Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij issued fresh orders on Thursday to seal the State’s border with Delhi. The Minister issued the order in the wake of the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the bordering districts — Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar — which reported 11,19,827 and six COVID-19 cases respectively in the past week.

Sub-Inspector Vijay Singh, deployed at the Delhi-Gurugram border near Ambience Mall, said a large number of workers employed in garments units in Udyog Vihar and those working with different private companies in Gurugram were not allowed to cross the border as they did not have valid passes.

The checking of the vehicles led to one-km-long congestion on the national highway. “Traffic restrictions have been strictly imposed on Gurugram-Delhi borders in view of COVID-19. Only essential services and movement pass holders will be allowed as per MHA guidelines and Delhi High Court orders,” said a tweet from the official handle of the Gurugram Police.

Yugal Karkhur, a consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Vivekanand Arogaya Kendra in Sector 12, said it took him around one-and-a-half-hour to cross the border in the morning. He said the restrictions were eased over the past one week and traffic flow was smooth, but the police put up barricades on Friday allowing only one vehicle at a time.

“Those not allowed to cross the border were forced to return causing complete chaos,” said Mr. Karkhur.

However, the traffic restrictions went for a toss in the afternoon and the vehicles were being allowed entry to Gurugram without any checking.

Highest jump in cases

Millennium City reported 115 new cases on Friday, taking the total to 520. This is the highest single-day jump in cases in the city so far.