Delhi Enforces Tougher Anti-Pollution Rules As AQI Turns Severe: What Changes From Today
As Delhi’s AQI hits the severe mark, the government enforces stricter anti-pollution curbs including hybrid work for offices, vehicle entry restrictions and mandatory PUC checks to tackle the air crisis.
With Delhi’s air quality slipping into the ‘severe’ category for several consecutive days, the city government has rolled out stricter anti-pollution measures starting today. These steps come on top of the existing Stage IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management after alarming pollution levels were recorded across the capital.
The new curbs include shifting government and private offices to a hybrid work model, tighter controls on vehicle entry into the city, and stricter enforcement of pollution certification norms. The move follows sharp criticism from the Supreme Court, which recently pulled up authorities for what it described as inadequate measures to tackle Delhi’s worsening air crisis and called for a more comprehensive response.
Under the revised guidelines, offices operating within the National Capital Territory are required to limit physical attendance to no more than 50 per cent of their workforce, with the remaining employees working from home. The rule does not apply to emergency and frontline services such as healthcare, fire services, sanitation, transport and departments directly involved in pollution control, along with daily-wage workers.
In a major step to curb vehicular emissions, the Delhi government has also barred the entry of non-Delhi vehicles that do not meet Bharat Stage VI emission standards when stricter GRAP stages are in force. Enforcement teams from the traffic police and transport department have been deployed at city borders and fuel stations to ensure compliance. Additionally, trucks carrying construction material have been prohibited from entering the capital during this period.
Fuel supply has also been linked to emission compliance. Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will not be refuelled at petrol pumps. The PUC certificate, issued after an emissions test at authorised centres, is mandatory for all vehicles and remains valid for a year for BS-IV and BS-VI compliant vehicles.
The Delhi government has urged residents and commuters from neighbouring states to cooperate with the measures, stressing that the temporary restrictions are necessary to protect public health and prevent further deterioration of air quality as winter pollution peaks.
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