New Delhi: The CAQM Commission (CAQM) has issued new instructions on Wednesday that tightens emission standards for a wide range of vehicles entering Delhi, a city that suffers from a high level of air pollution.
According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, published in March IQAIR, the Swiss Technology Society for Air Quality, 13 out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India, with a list in Assam, followed by Delhi.
From November 1, 2026, only buses running on BS-VI, CNG or electricity in service, such as contracts, school or institutional permits, and all Indian tourist permits, according to the government announcement issued by the Ministry of the Environment, Forests and Climate Changes, will be allowed to Delhi.
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The mandate will also apply to tourist buses and fleets operated by companies based on applications and electronic trading companies. The recovery of these entities will begin earlier – from 1 January 2026.
However, the instructions will not apply to vehicles registered in Delhi.
CAQM said this step is necessary because the transport sector continues to be the main source of air pollution in national capital and NCR, with the problem deteriorating during the winter months.
Buses and commercial fleets running on older, more polluting fuels are among the largest contributors to toxic emissions, she said.
The new rule is based on earlier orders that have already reduced the use of fuel in intercity buses coming to Delhi-NCR from Pandjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh. These older directions will continue to be in force, according to the ministry.
In separate but related measures, CAQM made a duty for horse riding, logistics and electronic fleets acting in Delhi-NCR to the transition to cleaner fuel possibilities from 1 January 2026.
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From this date, only the electric or CNG will be added to their fleets. For induction, no new vehicles or petrol-two wheels or quads of light commercial vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes) are not allowed.
However, existing vehicles with an internal internal combustion engine (ICE), which are already in operation, can work for now.
Delhi has already taken on this queue by announcing the system of a motor vehicle aggregator and providers of supplies providers in 2023. Fleets are the main part of daily traffic.
A separate ban on the entry of vehicles for commercial goods-light, medium or heavy- that do not meet BS-VI, CNG, LNG or electrical standards is already set to start from 1 November 2025.
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To ensure effective recovery, the Delhi traffic and traffic police departments were instructed to use technologies such as automatic numeric plates (ANPR) and RFID systems at border points.
State Governments in the NCR were also said to develop platforms for online monitoring and perform campaigns to public awareness to ensure smooth adherence to the new rules.
The air pollution in the Delhi has deteriorated, while the annual average PM2.5 concentration increased from 102.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 to 108.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024.
(Tagstotranslate) Delhi
