Traffic constable Suresh Kumar has been suffering from breathlessness since November 9. This is ironic because he has been manning a border post to regulate the entry of trucks into Delhi to prevent them worsening the polluted air of the capital. And while the border restriction may have reduced pollutants, many of the 600 policemen deployed for the job have been exposed to the very hazard they were trying to curb.
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Over 600 policemen have been deployed on the border posts through the day to keep a check on 70,000-80,000 trucks that enter the city each day. Around 3,777 drivers have been challaned for driving polluting vehicles, data from the traffic police stated.
Special commissioner, (traffic) Dependra Pathak, who was monitoring the operation since November 9, had ordered all the senior officers to be on the ground overseeing the work. "All the 23 border points were sealed, while the rest were manned by local policemen and PCR teams. We ensured that all the vehicles entering Delhi were checked before they were allowed entry," said Pathak.
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A PCR team was put on standby at all these posts to chase and intercept trucks if they managed to slip by.
Joint commissioner, Garima Bhatnagar and her team coordinated with the IGs and other senior officials of UP and Haryana for better coordination and swift traffic flow. The idea was to keep fumes emitting from these vehicles down. The drivers were also asked to keep their ignition off while waiting.
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During the operation, cops booked 85 drivers for driving vehicles that were over 15 years old; 70 more were booked for carrying uncovered building material, the data stated.
As many as 7,473 trucks were checked, of which 5,609 were made to return from the borders between November 14 and 16.
Police said the policemen, who were posted at these borders, were asked to wear face masks and take precautionary measures. Despite this, some of them have been complaining of breathlessness. Senior officers said all support would be given for their checkups.
Officers said that the number of trucks increased after the corporation had stopped collecting toll at the border posts as they did not have enough manpower to check every vehicle. The biggest challenge for the traffic police was to stop entry of vehicles after the restrictions came into effect, police said,