New Delhi, Sep 28 (PTI) Before the winter haze settles over Delhi, a series of measures are set to come into effect from November in the national capital to tackle pollution, including curbs on older vehicles, construction and demolition activity, higher parking charges and staggered office timings.
Vehicles registered outside Delhi that are below BS-VI will be prohibited from entering the national capital from November 1, while electric vehicles will be exempt from additional parking charges.
BS (I-VI) refers to emission standards of vehicles, with BS-VI vehicles being compliant with the most stringent standards.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government will publicise the restriction in advance. CNG vehicles will not fall under the separate BS-IV restriction, he said. The Delhi government did not specify when the restriction will end.
Parking charges at authorised parking sites will be doubled from November 1 to February 28 to discourage private vehicle use, while electric vehicles will be exempt from the additional parking charges. Parking spaces owned and managed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be excluded from the hike.
According to the Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), transport is one of the biggest contributor to PM2.5 emissions in Delhi, its share going up to 20 per cent or more in winter.
Dust-generating demolition activity and outdoor civil construction work at construction sites will be prohibited from November 1 to December 10. Between December 10 and January 20, there will be a complete ban on construction and demolition activities, including indoor activities, officials said.
The measures were discussed at an action-based planning meeting on Delhi and NCR pollution chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and attended by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, PWD Minister Parvesh Verma and Sirsa.
The government has registered 723 construction sites on its monitoring system, with pollution control at the sites being monitored through an AI-enabled automated system. Sirsa said less than 2-3 per cent of the sites had reported violations.
According to a government presentation, 600 of the 723 registered construction sites have been equipped with web cameras, while 100 per cent camera coverage of sites registered on the construction and demolition portal is targeted by October-end.
Office timings will be staggered from November 1 to February 28, with MCD offices functioning from 8:30 am to 5 pm and Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Government and private offices will reduce their physical workforce by 50 per cent, with half of the staff working from home, the government said.
The “No PUC, No Fuel” rule will be strengthened and implemented in mission mode, with a strict campaign at all 500 ANPR-equipped petrol pumps in Delhi, Sirsa said. A public awareness campaign will be held in October and PUC (pollution under control) centres will be upgraded in November.
Enforcement against end-of-life (ELV) vehicles will also be strengthened through ANPR-based systems, while the fitness of ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras will be checked.
Around 2.5 lakh vehicles will undergo fitness checks through three automated testing stations. The three stations currently have a combined capacity to test 2.44 lakh commercial vehicles annually.
On public transport, Sirsa said Delhi currently has 5,088 electric buses and another 150 buses will be added to the fleet. Delhi’s total bus fleet has reached 6,840 buses, while last-mile connectivity is available at all 228 Metro stations.
The government has set a target of increasing average daily Metro ridership from 65 lakh to 72 lakh and Delhi Transport Corporation ridership from 37 lakh to 42 lakh.
The government is working on high AQI (air quality index) and traffic-congestion hotspots, with Sirsa saying 42 of the 62 identified pollution hotspots have been brought under control. Action plans have been prepared for each hotspot covering a 3-kilometre radius, with district-level officials monitoring pollution sources and mitigation measures.
The government is also taking action against polluting industries, particularly units involved in tyre and e-waste burning. Sirsa said action was being taken against industries violating pollution-control norms and that buildings found to be involved in polluting activities could be sealed.
Between December 1, 2025 and September 26, 2026, action had been taken against around 1.15 lakh units, of which 2,283 had been sealed, Sirsa said.
The government has also increased the air-quality monitoring network under the Commission for Air Quality Management from 47 to 60 stations. Around 80 per cent of complaints received through the 311 app have been redressed, Sirsa said.
Technology-led monitoring will be significantly strengthened, with an AI-enabled command & control centre supporting integrated monitoring. The government will deploy 334 enforcement teams, comprising 256 ward teams and 78 Delhi Pollution Control Committee teams, backed by PTZ cameras and geo-tagged, time-stamped monitoring.
Government departments will also be held accountable if pollution is found on their properties, around their offices, at transport facilities or at bus stands, he said.
The government is continuing work with neighbouring NCR states on pollution-control measures, while studies and monitoring systems are being used to identify local pollution sources.
Sirsa said the government was also working with IIT Kanpur on a pollution study, while micro-sensors and a monitoring “supersite” are being developed with technical institutions to identify pollution sources at a more local level.
Sirsa said Delhi’s air pollution challenge needs to be viewed in the context of the larger NCR airshed. Around 30 per cent of the pollution is generated within the NCT of Delhi, while approximately 60-65 per cent comes from or is influenced by surrounding areas, as reflected in the government’s air pollution mitigation assessment. PTI SGV SGV SKY
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