The Delhi Police has submitted its reply to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), saying it follows "multi-pronged strategies" for managing traffic and that "concerted efforts" are being made to control parking norms violations.
Earlier, while hearing the matter regarding air pollution in the national capital, the tribunal had directed Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and the city's special commissioner of police (traffic management) to disclose the steps taken on the ground level to mitigate the contributory polluting factors of vehicular movements and parking issues.
The report filed on November 2 said, "Delhi traffic police follows multi-pronged strategies for managing traffic on Delhi roads based on regulation, enforcement, engineering intervention by stakeholders and the specified actions are being taken by the Delhi police to mitigate the contributory air polluting factors."
It said 1,800 traffic police personnel were regularly deployed, which increased to 2,000 after invoking the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Besides, over 280 prosecution teams were formed to check violations of pollution under control (PUC) norms and assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) were nominated as nodal officers at the identified 13 pollution hotspot zones, it added. Monitoring committees were formed for 11 revenue districts to coordinate with the districts and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) zones to ensure compliance with directions, such as removing congestion and checking traffic law violations, the report said.
It said 24 joint enforcement teams have been deployed with the transport department for acting against e-rickshaws and old age vehicles.
According to the report, traffic engineering proposals regarding road maintenance were being regularly sent to agencies such as the Public Works Department (PWD), MCD, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
"A letter was sent to agencies concerned on March 20, 2024, regarding 134 congestion points experiencing traffic congestion due to ongoing construction activities, encroachment, heavy volume of traffic for taking suitable remedial measures to improve the flow of traffic," the report said. It said another letter was sent regarding the optimisation of Multi-Level Car Parkings (MLCPs), including the review and rationalisation of parking charges while communications were also sent regarding 128 potholed roads and 97 encroached or damaged footpaths.
"That concerted efforts are made to check and control violation of parking norms and restrictions timings by the concerned traffic circles in which prominent market areas fall like Lajpat Nagar, Nehru Place, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Green Park, Tilak Nagar, Kamla Nagar, etc, to ensure uninterrupted flow of traffic," the report said.
It said 2,78,772 challans were issued till October 31 for vehicles plying without Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, 4,55,808 challans were issued for improper parking, 1,63,399 vehicles were towed for the offence and 3,508 challans were issued for old vehicles. The report said action was also being taken for various offences such as transportation of construction and demolition material without proper covers, vehicles not plying in designated lanes, driving against the flow and violation of no entry timings. "Submission of action taken reports to Green War Room of the environment department daily and periodic reports such as monthly and quarterly reports are also sent," it said.
