Delhi Cracks Down on Air Pollution With WFH Order and Vehicle Curbs From Thursday
Measures go beyond GRAP-IV as air quality remains ‘severe’; SC clears action against ageing vehicles
New Delhi, Dec 18: With air quality in the national capital continuing to remain in the “severe” category, the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government on Wednesday announced a fresh set of stringent anti-pollution measures aimed at curbing rising pollution levels and protecting public health.
The new restrictions including a work from home mandate, denial of fuel to vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, and a ban on older and high-emission vehicles will come into force from Thursday, December 18. These curbs are in addition to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV measures already enforced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
No PUC, No Fuel Rule
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that vehicles without a valid PUC certificate will not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps from Thursday. Petrol pump operators have been directed to strictly deny fuel to vehicles failing to comply with the mandatory emission norms.
PUC certificates are issued by authorised centres following emission checks and are compulsory for all vehicles operating in the city.
Ban on Vehicles Carrying Construction Material
The Delhi government has also imposed a ban on trucks and other vehicles transporting construction materials into the city. The environment minister appealed to people entering Delhi from other states to ensure their vehicles comply with Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission standards.
“Trucks carrying construction material into Delhi have been banned. I urge people coming from outside Delhi to use BS-VI compliant vehicles,” Sirsa said.
Work From Home Mandate
Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra announced that all government and private offices in the national capital must operate with only 50 per cent staff on-site, with the remaining workforce required to work from home starting Thursday.
“Strict action will be taken against institutions that violate these directions,” Mishra said, adding that essential services—including healthcare, fire services, prisons, public transport, municipal services, disaster management, and forest and environment departments—have been exempted from the mandate.
Supreme Court Allows Action Against Old Vehicles
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Wednesday modified its earlier August 12 order and clarified that action can be taken against diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years that do not meet BS-IV emission norms.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, passed the order after the Delhi government submitted that such vehicles were significantly contributing to the pollution crisis.
The CAQM had earlier invoked GRAP Stage IV on December 13 following a sharp deterioration in Delhi’s air quality.
