Delhi unveils clean air drive: Stricter fines, electric bus talks and new e-rickshaw rules

Delhi traffic

In a decisive push to curb vehicular pollution, the Delhi Government has announced a multi-pronged strategy, ruling out any waiver of fines for polluting vehicles and proposing new talks with ride-hailing giants to introduce shared electric bus services across the National Capital Region.

The measures were finalised during a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday, attended by senior officials from key departments and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Taking a strict view of vehicles operating without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, Chief Minister Gupta directed officials that the standard Rs 10,000 penalty “will not be waived under any circumstances.” An official statement noted that vehicle owners often approach Lok Adalats to get fines reduced, undermining the penalty’s deterrent effect.

Gupta has now mandated officials to pursue all necessary legal options, including approaching courts if required, to ensure penalties are upheld. The government emphasised that the objective is clean air, not revenue generation.

A significant proposal involves opening discussions with app-based cab aggregators Ola and Uber to explore operating pooled and shared electric or non-polluting buses in Delhi-NCR. The initiative, confirmed by the Chief Minister’s Office, aims to reduce private vehicle dependency and bolster green public transport options.

“Achieving zero emissions in the capital remains a key priority of the government,” CM Gupta asserted, according to the official release.

Parallelly, the government will issue comprehensive new guidelines for e-rickshaws, whose unregulated movement is cited as a major cause of traffic congestion, leading to increased fuel use and emissions. The guidelines will define specific operational areas and routes for the vehicles to improve overall traffic flow.

To strengthen the existing transit network, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus routes will be rationalised. The Chief Minister stated that DTC services must reach every neighbourhood and that scientific route planning is essential to improve last-mile connectivity and encourage a shift from private vehicles.

Following the main meeting, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa held further consultations with departments including the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Transport Department.

Minister Sirsa outlined the broad agenda, telling reporters that discussions covered the availability of electric buses, identifying more traffic congestion hotspots and improving public transport with a focus on promoting carpooling. “We are looking into resuming of the carpooling app as well,” Sirsa said.

He added that several decisions related to transport and the PWD, to be finalised this week, are intended to provide long-term solutions to Delhi’s persistent pollution challenge. Chief Minister Gupta has directed all concerned departments to coordinate closely and implement the announced decisions immediately.