Huge jams in Delhi, Noida as diesel taxi drivers protest against SC order​

Cab drivers blocked traffic on the Noida side of the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway leading to a massive congestion.

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court's ban on plying of diesel driven taxis in Delhi took effect on Sunday, cab drivers on Monday blocked traffic in Delhi's border areas.

The protesting drivers took to the roads at many places in the capital, causing hardships for school-going children and office-goers. 

The condition was worse on the Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-Noida borders and near west Delhi's Rajokri area.

Earlier this morning, the taxi drivers blocked traffic near Rajokri area obstructing traffic in both the carraigeways from Dhaula Kuan to Gurgaon.

Dhaula Kuan, Kapashera and Mehrauli were some of the areas where traffic crawled for hours and a long tailback stretching over a kilometer was witnessed near the Rajokri flyover around 9 am, a traffic official said.

The second blockade directly hit traffic in areas including Sarai Kale Khan, Ashram, near PGDAV College in Nehru Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Moolchand stretching up to AIIMS.

With people taking alternative routes, several stretches including Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Defense Colony and Mathura Road also got clogged within an hour, officials said.

The chaotic situation stretched beyond 11 am and traffic personnel had to be pressed into service in the area, the official added.

Several commuters had a harrowing time as they rushed to reach their offices as the drivers also blocked traffic on the Noida side of the Delhi Noida Direct (DND) flyway leading to a massive congestion.

"Private commercial vehicle drivers obstructed the traffic just after the Delhi-Noida expressway leading to heavy traffic," a DND official told IANS.

"Now the obstruction has been cleared," he added.

The apex court on Saturday had refused to give more time to taxi operators to switch to the cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) and banned the diesel-based taxis to run in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) from May 1.

The deadline for the change was extended twice.

(With Agency inputs)