How Closed Borders Are Choking NCR

With states dithering over movement rules, thousands of commuters get stuck in traffic snarls even as offices open

- Chayyanika Nigam and Ajay Kumar

Ashutosh Pradhan, who works as a product manager at an app development company, is fearing he might lose his job.

The 38-year-old lives in Noida and wants to resume his office in Central Delhi’s Jhandewalan, but he has been unable to do so because of “confusing, chaotic and crippling” border curbs.

“On May 10, the office informed us that if we don’t resume work, our salaries will be trimmed. As part of lockdown 4, the AAP government has permitted offices to open, but cops at DND Flyway are not allowing me to enter Delhi,” said Pradhan who remained stuck in traffic snarls for an hour on Wednesday.

Pradhan is one among tens of thousands of daily commuters who have been left stranded since new lockdown guidelines to relax some curbs were announced on Monday. A large number of people who want to cross the borders connecting Delhi with Gurugram and Faridabad are also suffering.

Actually, all National Capital Region (NCR) borders — supposed to seamlessly connect Delhi with its satellite towns like Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad — have turned into chokepoints this lockdown due to incoherent policy-making and escalating inter-state politics, Mail Today ground reports have revealed.

On Wednesday, there was another flip-flop as the Gurugram administration said it won’t allow inter-state buses or private transport.