As air quality in Delhi improves and GRAP Stage-IV curbs are revoked, the Delhi government has allowed entry of non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI emission standards from Thursday, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told CNN News18.
Sirsa, while speaking to News18, also added that there will be no relaxation on the “No PUC certificate, No Fuel” for anyone plying vehicles in Delhi.
“As the GRAP 4 has been removed, the non-city vehicles below BS-6 will be allowed in Delhi,” he said.
On Wednesday evening, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement that the AQI of Delhi has shown significant improvement since Tuesday night owing to high winds and favourable meteorological conditions, stage 4 of the Graded Response Action
Plan (GRAP) being revoked.
The average AQI of Delhi was recorded under the poor category at 271 on Wednesday, an improvement from 412 on Tuesday.
All the restrictions under GRAP Stage-I, II and III will remain invoked and be implemented until further orders.
Since December 16, the Delhi government has introduced a series of measures as the AQI slipped to the Severe category.
Sirsa had earlier told News18 that “all these measures are being imposed keeping in mind the public.”
The government had banned the entry of non-city vehicles below BS6 in Delhi from December 18 – both commercial and private. Only BS6 vehicles were allowed to enter the national capital under the new norms.
As per the norms, all motor vehicles registered outside the National Capital Territory of Delhi and below BS-VI emission standards “shall not be permitted to ply in Delhi during the operation of GRAP Stage IV (severe+), except vehicles running on CNG or Electric power, public transport, vehicles carrying essential commodities…”
A series of other measures were also imposed, including work from home for about 50% of the employees in any organisation registered in Delhi.
Also, the government has introduced a permanent ban on refuelling vehicles if they do not have a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. This was for all classes of vehicles – petrol, diesel and CNG.
To ensure no lapse in the norms, the surplus drivers of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) have been deployed at fuel stations round the clock to ensure that ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ is being followed on ground without fail.
“At 500 petrol pumps across Delhi, two DTC drivers per shift are deployed round the clock in three shifts (a total of 3,000 personnel) to conduct PUC checks and prevent polluting vehicles from refuelling,” an official statement reads.
Due to the vigilance of these employees, licences of 27 PUC centres found negligent during inspections have been suspended.
Between December 18 and 22, more than two lakh PUC certificates were issued in Delhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday said her Government is implementing both immediate and long-term measures to effectively control pollution in the national capital, with the objective of permanently mitigating the pollution crisis.
She said the Government has taken an important decision to initiate the installation of mist spray systems on buildings in place of mandatory anti-smog guns. She added that the Delhi Government is also expanding the network of air quality monitoring centres to strengthen pollution surveillance.
