'We genuinely didn’t know': Day 1 of Delhi's non-BS 6 rule brings border chaos, confusion

Delhi

Confusion and lengthy delays gripped Delhi's major entry points on Thursday morning as authorities abruptly began enforcing a ban on vehicles not meeting the latest emission standards.

The move, enacted under the Supreme Court-mandated Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), prohibits the entry of any vehicle not registered in Delhi and not complying with Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) norms into the capital.

According to a TOI report, the sudden implementation caught thousands of daily commuters off guard, transforming routine border crossings into scenes of gridlock and frustration during the morning rush.

Traffic police personnel, armed with handwritten registers, conducted checks at 13 key borders from Kapashera to Badarpur. According to reports, by 4 pm, 2,768 vehicles had been inspected, with 460 being compelled to make U-turns. The Najafgarh border saw the highest number of rejections at 175, followed by Sarita Vihar/Kalindi Kunj (93) and Badarpur (33).

Each forced reversal created immediate congestion, compounding delays on arterial roads already choked with peak-hour traffic. Officials noted that around 30 cars were turned back at the Noida-Kalindi Kunj border alone within a single hour.

A common thread among stranded drivers was a lack of awareness about the rule, which was announced just two days prior. Dipak, travelling with his wife from Greater Noida, was cited as saying by TOI that a navigation app led them straight into the restriction at Kalindi Kunj. "We genuinely didn't know about the rule," he said. "Now we have to go back 27km... It's very disappointing."

The confusion extended to vehicle specifications. Many commuters were unclear about their own car's emission category. Poonam, stopped at the Mayur Vihar border, argued her petrol car should be allowed before being informed otherwise. "Sorry, what does that mean?" she asked, ultimately turning back.

Others who were aware of the order still faced setbacks. Advocate Vijay Mittal stated he knew of the ban but did not realise his diesel BS-IV car would be barred. Dr Pushkar Verma, a Ghaziabad resident reporting for duty at a Delhi hospital, was also turned back, forcing him to seek alternate transport. "I'll now have to take the Metro," he said.

Traffic authorities acknowledged the strain of the operation. Personnel described the difficulty of simultaneously checking vehicles and managing flow, a task undertaken by over 500 officers and 37 Prakhar vans across the city.

Experts and commuters alike questioned the efficacy and communication of the policy. Transport analyst Anil Chhikara reportedly labelled the ban "premature," saying that border turnbacks cause idling and higher emissions locally. He emphasised that pollution is a regional issue requiring a coordinated solution beyond Delhi's borders.

While enforcement continued into the evening, the day's events underscored the significant implementation challenges and public disruption that accompany sudden environmental mandates, leaving officials to balance urgent air quality concerns with the practical realities of metropolitan mobility.