New Delhi: Delhi’s environment minister Gopal Rai has urged the central government to stop the entry of vehicles that do not meet the BS-VI emission standards into the city and National Capital Region (NCR). He has also asked for an urgent meeting of the environment ministers of the neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi to discuss the worsening air quality situation.
In a letter to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Rai wrote that the air pollution in Delhi was expected to increase further in the coming weeks owing to Diwali and stubble burning in the nearby states.
“Hence, may I request you to effectively ban the entry of Vehicles non-compliant to BS VI norms into Delhi from neighbouring states and also to ban such vehicles in NCR, so that the contribution of air pollution from vehicles can be controlled (sic)”, the senior AAP leader wrote Saturday.
BS or Bharat stage emission standards are put in place by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from engines, including that of motor vehicles.
With the air quality index (AQI) crossing 400 in several parts of the city, Delhi’s air quality reached the “severe” category Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
The air quality in other parts of the NCR was also similarly poor. The AQI in Ghaziabad was recorded at 377 (very poor) and in Greater Noida it was 490 (severe). Faridabad and Gurgigran saw an AQI of 449 (severe) and 392 (very poor), respectively.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
In his letter, Rai also mentioned that the Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan Thursday.
He said that according to the direction of the commission, all the bus services between Delhi and the neighbouring states have to be operated only through electric vehicles, CNG or BS-VI diesel vehicles from 1 November. However, he added that other vehicles that do not run on cleaner modes are still entering Delhi from the neighbouring states.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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