All Petrol and Diesel BS3/BS4 Vehicles Banned in Delhi

In view of the extreme deterioration in the air quality in Delhi, the Delhi government has issued a circular to ban the use of BS-III petrol and BS-III and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi. The Delhi government’s transport department has announced the new circular after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) initiated emergency measures under Phase III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Ban on All Petrol and Diesel BS3/BS4 Vehicles in Delhi

The ban on petrol four-wheelers with BS-III emission norms and diesel vehicles with BS-III and BS-IV emission norms mandated by the Delhi government will be in force till December 9. However, emergency services that are on official duty or fail under this restriction will be exempt from this restriction. The Delhi Traffic Police has also warned that if any vehicle falling in this category is found violating the rules, a fine of Rs 20,000 will be imposed on the violator. However, the ban will be lifted after December 9 if the CAQM clears Phase II of GRAP.

Delhi’s Air Quality Has Dropped

In the recent past, the air quality in Delhi has deteriorated from bad to worse and is now critical. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has been consistently falling in the ‘severe’ category for a long time, which has forced the CAQM to take drastic measures in an emergency. On Monday, the AQI in Delhi was 347, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category, though earlier it was 407, thus placing Delhi in the ‘severe’ category.

Currently, there are 3 lakh BS-IV diesel vehicles and 2 lakh BS-III petrol vehicles plying on Delhi roads. According to Anumita Roy Chowdhury, the ban introduced is disruptive but a short-term measure to control the sudden increase in air pollution. He also said that such disruptive measures can be avoided if a proper long-term action plan is followed.

While such restrictions on older generation vehicles may sound like the call of the times, not everyone is happy and welcomes the move with open arms. The Delhi Taxi and Tourist Transporters Association has announced that it will hit the streets of Delhi for a massive protest and road blockade against the Aam Aadmi Party governments in Delhi and Punjab. According to the members of this body, many tourists and taxis from Punjab come to Delhi and by imposing such restrictions, the Delhi government wants to hatch a conspiracy to curb the tourism industry.

Delhi’s Decision Based On GRAP Stages

Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP is a four-phase plan implemented by CQAM. The decision to implement phase one of GRAP is based on the AQI of Delhi-NCR. Stage 1 is poor AQI (201-300). Stage II – ‘Very poor’ (AQI 301–400). Stage III – ‘Severe’ (AQI 401 – 450) and Stage IV ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI > 450).

10 Years Diesel Banned Permanently

The National Green Tribunal rules that 10-year-old diesel cars and 15-year-old petrol cars are not allowed to be used in New Delhi. To ensure that this rule is strictly followed, all registering authorities and RTO offices in New Delhi may issue No Objection Certificates (NOC) for the transfer of such old vehicles to other states where this rule is in force. Not in effect yet. , This restriction is still in force.

The move was taken to curb rising pollution levels in the National Capital Region, with harmful gases emitted by vehicles believed to be one of the primary causes.