New Delhi: Delhi govt activates its special winter pollution restrictions Sunday, rolling out a broader seasonal framework that goes beyond the emergency measures imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Effective from Nov 1, the measures aim to curb pollution through a combination of vehicle-entry restrictions, reduced office attendance, staggered working hours, higher parking charges and curbs on dust-generating construction activities. The most wide-ranging measure could keep more than 10 lakh vehicles registered in neighbouring NCR districts out of Delhi between Nov 1 and Jan 31. Outdoor dust-generating demolition and civil construction work will be prohibited from Nov 1 to Jan 31, except for essential public infrastructure projects. A stricter ban on construction and demolition activities will be in force from Dec 10 to Jan 20, subject to limited exemptions. Separately, Commission for Air Quality Management has announced a halt on construction and demolition activities across NCR from Nov 5 to Nov 20. Delhi govt and private offices will be required to limit physical attendance to 50% from Nov 1 to Jan 31, with the remaining staff working from home, subject to exemptions. MCD offices will function from 8.30 am to 5 pm, while Delhi govt offices will operate from 10 am to 6.30 pm. Parking charges at authorised sites will double from Nov 1 to Feb 28, except at facilities owned or managed by DMRC.
Enforcement will be backed by special teams, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and an AI-enabled Integrated Command and Control Centre, according to a Delhi govt statement issued Saturday. Pollution is an NCR-wide problem, not just Delhi’s,” said activist Amit Gupta. The restriction applies to vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission norms and are neither CNG nor electric vehicles. Emergency and govt-duty vehicles, including ambulances, fire tenders and police vehicles, have been exempted. The policy, unveiled in July, marks a shift from relying primarily on pollution-triggered restrictions to implementing a notified set of measures every winter. The framework will operate alongside GRAP, with stricter provisions under the latter taking precedence. Govt hopes the combined effect of these measures will help reduce emissions and dust. Chief minister Rekha Gupta has appealed to residents, vehicle owners, construction agencies and institutions to comply with the restrictions, use public transport or carpool, avoid open burning and report violations. Govt has also urged through-traffic to use peripheral expressways instead of entering Delhi. Commuters and travellers heading to Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh or Haryana from outside Delhi will have to rely on alternative routes such as the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways, Delhi-Meerut Expressway and Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway to bypass the capital. Vehicles found violating the entry restrictions may face automatic e-challans and action by traffic police, including impounding as per rules. Dedicated teams will also inspect construction sites and can issue stop-work notices, levy environmental compensation and initiate sealing or legal proceedings. Construction activity will face phased restrictions. The restrictions will also affect workplaces and daily commuting. In another year-round measure, petrol, diesel, CNG and LPG outlets in Delhi will dispense fuel only to vehicles with a valid pollution-under-control certificate (PUCC), with electronic verification permitted. However, the vehicle-entry restrictions have drawn criticism over the distinction between Delhi-registered and out-of-state vehicles. “It is unfair that a Delhi-registered BS-IV or older vehicle can ply in the city, while an equally compliant vehicle registered in NCR is barred despite having a valid PUC and being within its permissible age.
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