Delhi's vehicle entry ban explained: Read this first before you hit the road

Delhi traffic

The Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its earlier August order while hearing a case related to worsening air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Taking note of the deteriorating air quality, the court reinstated restrictions on older vehicles that do not meet Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) emission norms. Read Delhi AQI Live News here .

The court clarified that these restrictions will remain in force only as long as the strictest pollution control measures under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-IV) are active.

At present, all four stages of GRAP are in force across Delhi-NCR as air quality continues to remain in the “severe” category.

As per the latest order, the following vehicles will not be allowed to ply in Delhi from Thursday:

* Older than 10 years

* Meeting BS-III or lower emission norms

* Older than 15 years

* Meeting BS-III or lower emission norms

These restrictions apply only during the period when GRAP Stage IV is in force.

GRAP Stage IV is the most stringent level of pollution control measures and is triggered when the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses 450.

* Ban on construction and demolition activities

* Restrictions on truck movement

* Curbs on polluting vehicles

* Emergency steps to reduce vehicular emissions

Along with the ban on older vehicles, the following measures are now in place:

* No PUC, no fuel

* Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will not be given fuel

* Petrol pumps have been directed to stop refuelling such vehicles from December 18

* Each petrol pump will have a police officer and transport official deployed

* ANPR cameras will help identify non-compliant vehicles

* Trucks and vehicles carrying construction material are barred from entering Delhi

* The ban will remain until GRAP-IV is lifted

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government is taking several steps to strictly enforce the restrictions. Around 580 police personnel will be deployed at 126 checkpoints across the city, including entry points at Delhi’s borders. Thirty-seven special “Prakhar” enforcement vans will also be on the roads to check violations.

Key enforcement steps include:

* Deployment of 580+ police and traffic personnel

* 126 checkpoints set up across Delhi, including border entry points

* 37 Prakhar enforcement vans patrolling the city

* 13 RFID-enabled entry points where BS compliance data is available

* Use of e-challan machines, where vehicle details are instantly verified through RC data

* BS-VI vehicles identified through colour-coded fuel stickers with holograms

Vehicle owners can identify their BS compliance by:

* Checking details on the VAHAN portal using the registration number

* Looking at the registration certificate (RC), where available

* Checking the manufacturing year (BS-VI engines were introduced in 2020)

The Delhi government has also announced several long-term measures to tackle traffic-related pollution:

* Launch of a Delhi-specific carpooling app

* Identification of traffic congestion hotspots using Google Maps

* Rollout of an integrated traffic management system to better control signal timings

* Third-party survey to identify potholes across the city over the next year

The proposed carpooling app will allow commuters to share rides easily, helping reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads.