More than 10 lakh vehicles in Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad could be hit as Delhi bars non-BS6 vehicles from November 1. ANPR cameras and about 300 enforcement personnel will police the borders.
Every morning, thousands of people drive into the capital from Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad. For many of them, the winter commute is about to change. From November 1, Delhi will stop vehicles registered outside the city that fall below BS6 emission standards from entering. The restriction will stay in force until January 31, 2027, as part of the city’s winter pollution control plan. Transport department estimates reported by The Times of India suggest that more than 10 lakh vehicles across the region could be affected
The numbers show how large the older-vehicle fleet is in the neighbouring cities. Gurugram and Faridabad together have nearly 2 lakh vehicles below BS6, and roughly 70 per cent of them are BS3 or BS4. The two Haryana districts also have about 50,000 commercial vehicles that miss the standard. In Noida and Greater Noida, more than 4 lakh vehicles fall short. Over half of them are BS4, and most are petrol cars. A senior transport department official told TOI that Ghaziabad has around 4 lakh such vehicles. These are estimates of the non-BS6 fleet. They do not mean every one of these vehicles will be turned back at the border, but regular commuters with older cars are the most exposed.
Read more: Delhi’s winter pollution master plan (News On AIR) | CAQM ban on non-BS-VI commercial goods vehicles (The Tribune)
The transport department is tightening checks at Delhi’s entry points. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras at border checkpoints and key lanes will read registration plates to flag vehicles that do not comply. Barriers at the borders are also being strengthened to physically stop non-BS6 vehicles coming in from Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad. About 300 enforcement personnel from the transport department are expected to be deployed. Electric and CNG vehicles are exempt. The restriction is one piece of a wider winter action plan that Delhi has announced for the season, when the capital’s air quality usually worsens. You can also read about the other winter curbs on parking, construction and office timings.
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