New Delhi: With vehicular emission emerging as a main source of pollution in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has suggested a slew of measures to contain it, including a hike in the Environment Compensation Charges (ECC) imposed on commercial vehicles entering Delhi, increase of Environment Protection Charges (currently only 1% more) on diesel vehicles in the luxury segment and time-bound phasing out of polluting vehicles.
In a detailed report presented to the Supreme Court Wednesday, CAQM presented long-term “collaborative” measures to reduce the increasing air pollution in Delhi. These suggestions are based on an expert panel’s meta-analysis from 2015 to 2025, carried out to determine sources of air pollution in the region.
According to the report, the contribution of transport to pollution in Delhi-NCR is 23 per cent in winter and 19 per cent in summer. Industrial emissions account for around 9 per cent in winter and 14 per cent in summer, while dust from construction, roads and soil constitute 15 per cent of the total pollution in winter and 27 per cent in summer.
Another dominant pollution source impacting air quality in Delhi-NCR is biomass burning, which is estimated to be around 20 per cent in winter and 12 per cent in summer.
Secondary particulate matter, which includes gaseous emissions from transport, industries and biomass burning, is around 27 per cent in winter and 17 per cent in summer.
After going through the report, the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Suryakant gave four weeks to agencies of states falling in the NCR to respond to the long-term measures outlined in the report. The bench observed in its order that these measures need to be made effective without any delay.
The expert panel has backed a hike in ECC on commercial vehicles entering Delhi. This was introduced in 2015 pursuant to a top court order. It was to have a deterrent effect on these vehicles that passed through Delhi to avoid paying higher toll taxes.
CAQM’s report suggests that a similar situation has arisen post completion of the Eastern and Western peripheral expressways. Once again, commercial vehicles find it cheaper and easier to travel via Delhi, instead of taking the expressways.
The CAQM has also called for imposition of higher Environment Protection Charges (EPC) on diesel vehicles in the luxury segment and SUVs of 2000 cc capacity and above. At present only an extra 1 per cent of EPC is levied on these vehicles.
Specific suggestions for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) were also made. MCD must ensure full operationalisation of a barrier-free multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system, integrated with RIFD and automatic number plate recognition at all 126 toll collection points in Delhi.
This, the CAQM said, should be done by October 2026 to avoid vehicular stoppage and reduce congestion at Delhi’s entry points.
In case the MCD cannot meet the deadline, as suggested, then it should be directed to restrict toll collection at nine identified toll plazas only from vehicles liable to pay ECC during the peak winter month, which is between November to January when average AQI crosses 300.
All other vehicles should be exempted until the MLFF becomes operational. CAQM said the toll and ECC collection infrastructure should be strictly located within its territorial jurisdiction and ECC funds lying unused also need consideration of the court.
Time-bound phasing out of polluting vehicles
Besides, as part of its long-term measures, CAQM has advised time-bound phasing out of polluting vehicles, based on the emission potential of each category. It said the NCR states and Delhi government should either ensure scrapping of such vehicles or facilitate their transfer outside the NCR so such polluting vehicles don’t ply in the region.
CAQM also wants strengthening of the pollution-under-control mechanism and monitoring of on-road vehicles. For this, it has recommended remote sensing devices for advanced emissions surveillance.
Additionally, to curb higher emissions from vehicles, CAQM has advised steps such as augmentation of regional rail transport, metro rail network, multi-modal transport hubs connecting metro, ensuring last-mile connectivity along with real-time passenger information system and also recommended a review of electric vehicle policies and expeditious expansion of EV charging infrastructure.
The other measures to curb air pollution relate to dust from construction and demolition activities, roads and right of way, industries, thermal power plants, open bio-mass and burning and fires from sanitary landfill sites and paddy stubble burning.
CAQM’s suggestions require state governments of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to prepare an advanced action plan to prepare an implementation plan for replacing cupola and other furnaces with electric furnaces through suitable incentives, etc.; to eliminate air polluting industries in non-conforming areas of NCR; and to have a plan to stop use of coal as fuel in industries in non-NCR areas.
Another significant advice is not to have a new coal-based thermal power station within 300 kilometers of Delhi.
CAQM’s exercise to analyse the sources of pollution made the body realise the limitations in the current mechanism for source apportionment. Because of multi-pollutant and multi-sectoral contributions, the nature of air pollution is dynamic and complex, the report said.
Hence, to reduce emission uncertainty for developing effective air quality management, the commission has constituted a steering committee under the chairmanship of a full-time technical member of the commission, comprising members from various agencies, who have developed a framework for emission inventory and source apportionment.
This implementation has been entrusted to the Central Pollution Control Board that has awarded the work of developing a new emission inventory and source apportionment study to a consortium led by the Automotive Research Association of India, Pune, with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, The Energy and Resources Institute and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Pune as partners, CAQM told the court.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Toxic air is driving people out of India’s cities, threatening urban growth