NEW DELHI: While the Delhi government has gone ahead with a series of relaxations in the national capital in the last two days, transporters in the city are unhappy with the curfew timings. As per the fresh guidelines, movement of people outside their home is restricted between 7 in the evening till 7 in the morning which has hit transporters with a double whammy as they are not allowed to enter the city in the day.
“Even before the lockdown was imposed trucks were not allowed to enter the city during day time, we used to move our trucks from 10 pm in the evening to 7 in the morning. But these fresh guideline are not giving us any time to run, this will completely ruin our business which is already facing severe troubles,” said Rajendra Kapoor, president, Delhi Goods and Transport Organisation.
On the normal days, the Ring Road, which is the main transit route used by trucks for getting goods into the city wholesale markets like Chawri Bazar, Paharganj, Karol Bagh and other walled city areas and Tees Hazari area, is no entry zone between 4 pm to 10 pm and 7 am to 11 am.
“The Delhi government has brought in fresh orders without taking note of the transporters plight. We should be given exemptions by the administration from the curfew to move at night between 10 pm till 7 am as our routine working timings before the lockdown. If the curfew is imposed, the shopkeepers will also not open and we will not be able to supply our goods,” added Kapoor.
According to the fresh orders, Delhi government has allowed the opening of markets and market complexes on the basis of odd-even rule but there is no mention in the order of the movement of trucks in being given any exemptions from the curfew.
“We have to gradually move towards opening the economy. We used the lockdown period to make preparations to deal with COVID-19. The penance done by Delhiites in the last one and a half months will not go waste,” CM Kejriwal had said at an online media briefing on Monday.