New Delhi: At Chilla border, PK Jain was almost through with his usual Noida-to-Delhi commute when he hit the brakes. Instead of driving straight into the capital, he pulled over, parked his car and walked up to traffic personnel a few metres away. He had one question: Could he enter Delhi? “I have a Delhi number plate, but my car is BS-IV. I have read the rules, but want to be sure. If I cannot enter, I will go back,” he said.His brief stop set the tone for the first day of GRAP enforcement that barred vehicles that are registered in other states and do not comply with BS-VI emission standards from entering Delhi.The enforcement drive was visible at 13 major entry points, from Kapashera to Badarpur. Traffic police and transport department personnel stood along the roads, scanning number plates of cars, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles. Vehicles flagged for scrutiny were asked to pull over. Those found below the prescribed BS-VI standard were turned back, while motorists without valid pollution under control certificates (PUCC) were challaned. Posters explaining the restrictions were put up at the borders. The exercise, which had begun overnight, also scrutinised commercial vehicles.Sunday morning, however, seemed relatively uneventful compared with chaotic traffic scenes often associated with winter pollution curbs. Traffic was thin, and most entry points did not witness long queues or heated exchanges. However, Ghazipur and Gurgaon borders were among the few places that saw tailbacks.While some motorists knew about the restrictions and were prepared, others were caught off guard. Those driving BS-VI-compliant vehicles appeared confident about getting through, while several motorists in older vehicles, particularly those registered outside Delhi, had to turn back. For some, however, knowing about the rule did little to make the checks any less inconvenient.Till 12:45 pm Sunday, 7,279 vehicles had been scrutinised at Delhi’s borders, 714 were turned back and 37 were sent for scrapping.For Sudhish Chandra, the checks came as an unwelcome interruption on his return journey. Stopped at Kalindi Kunj while travelling from Noida, he said he knew about the restrictions but had little choice but to take his BS-IV vehicle out. “I live in Faridabad and my mother is admitted to a hospital in Noida. I had gone to visit her, and now, while returning, I have been stopped,” he said.Others were better prepared. Badal, who was stopped at the border, said having recently bought a bike gave him an alternative. “It would have been difficult to manage without it,” he said. At Chilla, Tarun, who had come to Delhi for work, was asked to turn back. He said he didn’t know about the curbs. “Better to return than be slapped with a Rs 20,000 challan,” he said.Even clearing the BS-VI requirement did not necessarily mean motorists could drive away without consequences. Rajat Kumar was allowed entry because his vehicle met the emission standard, but was challaned because his PUCC expired on Oct 26. “People should stop blaming only the authorities. We are also responsible for the pollution we cause,” he said.The uncertainty extended to motorists whose vehicles were compliant. Some called friends and acquaintances before setting out to check whether the enforcement had actually begun. Others approached traffic personnel, saying, “Don’t stop me, mine is BS-VI,” even before being questioned.Anvesh, a truck driver, said such checks were hard to skip, with vehicles being unfailingly stopped at border crossings and drivers having to be prepared for scrutiny. At Ghazipur, officials said deployment was increased from the usual two or three personnel to six or seven to manage the additional checks.The bigger test lies ahead. With weekday traffic set to return from Monday, enforcement agencies will have to ensure that the prohibited vehicles stay out of Delhi without turning its entry points into bottlenecks.
