New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday announced that all non-BS-VI vehicles will be banned from entering Delhi from Thursday, December 18. The decision,
which the government claims to have taken in order to control rising air pollution, faced a major setback. Lakhs of commuters who come to Delhi from Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram have objected to the move, calling it unrealistic. Being a key part of the National Capital Region, people from neighbouring cities rely heavily on Delhi for work and family needs. Apart from that, what caused anxiety among commuters is the lack of alternatives to travel to Delhi. In Gurugram alone, nearly two lakh privately owned vehicles do not meet BS-VI emission standards. These include around 1.5 lakh BS-III petrol cars and more than 36,000 BS-IV diesel vehicles. The city also has over 47,000 commercial BS-IV diesel vehicles, about 2,000 BS-III petrol commercial vehicles and roughly 2,200 buses that fall under BS-III or BS-IV norms. On top of this, around 92,000 diesel vehicles in Gurgaon are already more than 10 years old and were earlier restricted, according to The Times of India. Also Read: Delhi's Red Fort Reopens: A UNESCO Landmark Back in the Public Eye Noida faces an even bigger impact. Out of almost 10 lakh registered vehicles in the city, more than four lakh will be affected by the ban. About 1.4 lakh are BS-III vehicles, while nearly 2.8 lakh are BS-IV models. Only around 4.2 lakh vehicles meet BS-VI standards and will be allowed to enter Delhi. In Ghaziabad, the numbers are similar. While over 5.5 lakh vehicles are BS-VI compliant, an almost equal number do not meet the standard. These include around 1.7 lakh BS-III and 3.7 lakh BS-IV vehicles, all of which will now be barred from entering Delhi, the media report quoted the data.
What Residents Say?
Manoj Kumar from Gurgaon's Sector 50 said the order makes little sense because Delhi and its neighbouring cities function as one large urban area. He pointed out that lakhs of people depend on daily travel between these cities and Delhi, and the ban will disrupt normal life.
Subhangi Sharma from Sector 40 agreed, saying the government relies too much on short-term measures. She believes officials focus on vehicle bans instead of dealing with deeper causes of pollution.
Officials say the move follows the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III, which already calls for restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles. However, the Delhi government has gone further by banning all vehicles below BS-VI. According to Noida’s assistant regional transport officer, police teams are now posted at all Delhi borders, and violators will face fines and vehicle seizure.
‘What Will They Do?’
Residents are worried about the lack of alternatives. A Greater Noida resident, Alok Singh, said nearly half the population does not own BS-VI vehicles. He questioned how people are expected to travel during the ban, especially when metro services are already overcrowded. He also doubted whether such bans alone can significantly improve air quality, given the many sources of pollution.
Some residents believe the policy unfairly targets vehicle owners. Rahul Saha from Noida accused the government of blaming older vehicles and pushing people to buy new cars. He argued that a complete ban on private vehicles is unnecessary and does not address the full pollution problem.
Overall, while the government says the ban is necessary to tackle toxic air, many across the NCR feel it places a heavy burden on ordinary commuters without offering practical solutions.
