Massive traffic congestion is being witnessed at the Delhi-Gurugram border as the Haryana government on Thursday issued fresh orders for sealing borders with the national capital citing a sharp increase in Coronavirus cases during the past one week in the state’s districts adjoining Delhi.
This is the second time when the Haryana government has taken such a decision to curb Coronacases in districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonepat and Jhajjar. In last three days, 121 cases of Corona appeared in Gurugram.
Gurugram administration has put extra barricades at Delhi-Gurugram-Sarhaul border located on NH8, Chakkarpur border on Mehrauli-Gurugram (MG) road, old Delhi road at Kapashera and other stretches connected to Delhi.
Long queues of vehicles piled up from Delhi to Gurugram ever since the barricades were placed around 8 am today.
The order has made the movement of people travelling across the borders without valid permission tougher.
Gurugram police has opened just one lane at the border only for essential services.
As police too, do not have clear guidelines, they are also in confusion of who should be allowed and who not.
“We have sealed the border but allowing essential services vehicles to go through. Thorough checking of any person coming from Delhi is applied here. The idea is to prevent cross border travelling — to minimise spread of Coronavirus,” said an official of DLF phase-3 police station.
The police personnel deployed at the border are allowing only those having valid movement passes.
Meanwhile, earlier today, the border witnessed protests by hundreds of people after they were stopped from crossing the border while cars were reportedly allowed to pass through the barricades unchecked.
As the crowd started growing in size, the checkpoint was sealed completely for all, including motorists, except those involved in essential services.
The fresh decision of Haryana government largely affects police personnel of Delhi, besides MCD, DJB and others employed in Delhi but are native of Haryana. A large portion of Delhi Police personnel, around 40,000 are natives of NCR cities falling under Haryana.
The order was issued by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.
“I have again issued orders today that in the districts adjoining Delhi, no leniency should be shown. Eighty per cent of our coronavirus cases are from the districts adjoining Delhi. Therefore, we are maintaining strictness on our borders with the national capital and keeping these sealed,” the minister said.
He, however, in an order said barring the categories exempted by the Delhi High Court and the Centre, the state borders for others will remain completely sealed.
“The districts bordering Delhi are witnessing a sharp increase in the number of cases, which is a matter of concern,” Vij, who is also the state health minister, told reporters in Ambala.
He cited the movement of people into the districts bordering the national capital as the reason behind the surge in cases.
Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar are the four worst-hit districts accounting for a majority of 1,504 infection cases in the state.
Faridabad has reported the maximum seven fatalities in the state followed by three in Gurgaon and one in Sonipat, according to a state health bulletin.
On Thursday, Gurgaon reported 68 fresh cases followed by 18 in Faridabad and four in Sonipat.
The total cases in Gurgaon are 405, Faridabad 276, Sonipat 180 and Jhajjar 97, as per the bulletin.
Registering over 1000 cases in one day, Delhi’s Coronvirus cases have climbed to 16,281 with 316 deaths.