Attention commuters if you are driving in Delhi-NCR these days as Delhi Traffic Police has ramped up vehicle checks in the national capital and the bordering areas after the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV was implemented to curb the worsening air quality, officials said on Tuesday.
The Centre's air quality panel for Delhi-NCR on Monday imposed stringent measures under Stage IV of the air pollution control plan as the region's air quality turned "severe" due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
In addition to enhancing checks within the city, Delhi Police held an inter-state coordination meeting with Haryana and UP Police to discuss strategies for managing the flow of vehicles into the city, a police officer said.
The vehicles approaching Delhi whose destination is not here, would be diverted via the Eastern/Western Peripheral Expressway in order to reduce congestion in the city, the officer said.
"To further strengthen enforcement, Delhi Police plans to install joint pickets at key border areas. These pickets will monitor and restrict the entry of vehicles not meeting the required norms," the officer said.
Ten police pickets will be installed at every district. These checkpoints will be responsible for imposing fines on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles for plying in the city, another police officer said.
A senior police officer said they have already intensified checking over-aged vehicles. "In collaboration with the traffic police, we have intensified checking at various locations in Delhi. The traffic police have set up their checkpoints near all the toll plazas, Haryana-Delhi and Uttar Pradesh-Delhi borders," said the police officer.
He further said the traffic police will check the documents of the vehicles to identify their age if they have the proper PUC certificate.
Stage IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for winters also include a ban on the entry of polluting trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi and mandatory shifting of school classes, except those for X and XII, to hybrid mode.
GRAP Stage IV was invoked in Delhi for the first time this season in November due to consistently high pollution levels in the city and adjoining areas.
(With inputs from PTI)
