Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that starting Thursday, vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will be denied fuel at petrol stations in the capital.
With pollution levels on the rise, Sirsa has also announced that all vehicles below the BS-VI standard and vehicles registered outside Delhi will be banned from entering the city during the 3rd and 4th phase of GRAP.
Read also | Dense fog engulfs Delhi, AQI in ‘very poor’ category – IndiGo issues advisory
The government will not allow any polluting vehicle to enter Delhi, he added.
“To control vehicle exhaust emissions, all petrol, diesel and CNG pump dealers are directed to refuel only those motor vehicles whose owners have a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC),” he added.
Vehicles carrying construction material will not be allowed to enter Delhi when GRAP 4 is in place, he said.
Sirsa clarified that automatic number plate recognition and ground checks will be carried out to verify PUCC status and emission categories of vehicles and directed citizens not to argue with enforcement officials at petrol stations and borders if found non-compliant.
Read also | Is the pollution still not settling? Top Air Purifiers to Consider for High AQI and PM2.5
Emphasizing that the current government has focused on data-driven, scientifically designed interventions to reduce pollution levels, he said eight of the past 11 months have seen better air quality compared to the same months last year. Even in November, when Delhi usually faces severe AQI, the average AQI was about 20 points lower than last year, he said.
“This is the impact of targeted, day-to-day enforcement and long-term structural reforms,” he said.
The minister said that the Delhi Pollution Control Board and district teams are conducting an extensive survey of industrial units, including redevelopment and non-conforming areas, which have already been surveyed, and that 824 such units are facing action.
More than 2,000 announcements were slapped and around ₹9.21 crore fines imposed on violators for violating pollution norms, apart from action taken by other departments.
Read also | GRAP IV curbs in Delhi-NCR: What is restricted and what is not as AQI declines
There is also a large-scale crackdown on diesel generators and polluting commercial enterprises. Around 3,200 diesel generator sets have been verified for compliance with Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) standards, with non-compliant sets facing closure and penalties. Around 318 banquet halls in Delhi have been directed to ensure that their diesel generators meet the prescribed norms or they will be sealed.
Sirsa highlighted the government’s focus on permanently removing mountains of old waste, saying that daily waste processing at the three landfills in Delhi has increased from around 20,000 metric tons to nearly 35,000 metric tons per day, in line with the goal of completing biomining by 2026.
He noted that of the approximately 202 acres covered by mountains of trash, about 45 acres have already been reclaimed, with plantation forests established on the vacated land. A dense forest is being built on an area of about 7 acres, he said.
The minister said there are currently 3,427 electric buses plying in the city and the government plans to add another 7,000 by December 2026, which will drastically reduce vehicle emissions.
8.66 million vehicles were issued
He also highlighted that more than 8.66 lakh vehicles have been issued challans in Delhi for not having valid PUC certificates, which has significantly improved compliance and awareness among vehicle owners.
Sirsa said a high-level group of scientists, headed by a former environment minister of the central government, had been constituted to provide scientific input on pollution abatement measures and the committee had already held its first meetings.
A separate CAQM committee is also working to refine and modernize the action plan, he said.
To curb industrial emissions, Online Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) have been installed in 280 industrial units with a clear mandate that no polluting industry in Delhi should be left out of real-time online monitoring.
“Non-compliant blocks that fail to install OCEMS within the prescribed deadline will face strict action, including closure,” he added.
To curb biomass burning, the government is distributing 3,500 electric heaters for free to guards and night workers so they don’t have to resort to burning wood or garbage to keep warm during winter nights.
