As goods trucks destined for other cities cross Delhi leaving it suffocated, the Delhi Police and its counterparts in the neighbouring States have come up with some alternative routes to prevent such vehicles from entering the Capital.
As an immediate interim measure, police officials of these States have proposed to divert traffic from NH 1 (GT Karnal Road) to NH 8 (Gurgaon–Jaipur highway) through NH 71 (Jalandar-Rewari highway) and 71A (Rohtak–Panipat Road).
The list of alternative routes was placed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday.
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The tribunal, however, expressed its displeasure when the Delhi Police could not tell it the number of vehicles that enter Delhi from Kundli and Panipat.
“What kind of meetings do you hold if you don’t even have this information?” the tribunal asked.
The tribunal has been directing the police and the States concerned to resolve the menace of pollution.
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The Delhi Police said they held a meeting with their counterparts from the neighbouring States and they are in the process of identifying best possible alternative routes for goods vehicles to shuttle between Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan without entering Delhi.
The police said their counterpart in Haryana have identified and suggested routes in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Delhi Police are exploring the feasibility of these routes from the traffic management point of view.
The police have said the routes suggested by the Haryana Police, PWD (Haryana), and the NHAI are feasible for diverting goods vehicles from NH1 to NH8 via NH 71 and NH 71A as an immediate interim measure till, said sources, the eastern (Palwal-Noida-Kundli) and western (Kundli-Manesar-Palwal) peripheral highways are ready.
The route suggested by the Haryana authorities is Panipat- Rohtak-Jhajjar- Rewari- Bawal. The suggested route is a stretch of 166 km while if the vehicles pass through Delhi, they cover a distance of 174 km.
Sources said these vehicles cross Delhi to save toll tax as the five stops on the suggested alternative route fall in Haryana, which charges Rs. 930 on every toll whereas Delhi charges a toll of Rs. 609.
The police have suggested alternative routes for traffic coming from Punjab/Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sirsa and Jaipur.
Traffic from Punjab/Himachal Pradesh can take the alternative route via Sonepat. Traffic from Uttar Pradesh - from Agra side wishing to go to Punjab/Himachal Pradesh - can be diverted from NH 2 to NH 71 via Palwal-Sohna-Rewari and it can take the route of NH 71 and NH 71A - Rewari-Jhajjar
-Rohtak-Panipat.
While the suggested alternative route is 228 km , the one being used at present is 155 km
Meanwhile, the NGT told TATA Motors and Ashok Leyland, the suppliers of buses to the DTC, as to why the buses designed by them cause so much noise pollution and why can they not design some smaller CNG buses to ease traffic congestion.
Tribunal expressed its displeasure when the Delhi Police could not tell it the number of vehicles that enter Delhi from Kundli and Panipat