Delhi Government has imposed a temporary ban on plying of BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles in the state, and violating the orders will attract a fine of Rs. 20,000.

The deteriorating air quality of the national capital has been a major concern for the Delhi government. In a bid to curb air pollution, it has imposed a temporary ban on plying of Bharat Stage (BS) 3 or older petrol vehicles and BS4 or older diesel vehicles in Delhi-NCR till December 09, 2022. The order states that vehicles not conforming to the latest emission norms will not be allowed to ply on Delhi's roads with immediate effect, the transport department announced on Monday. Any vehicle found violating the orders will be charged a fine of Rs. 20,000.

In previous years, the Delhi government experimented with emergency measures like the odd-even scheme and banning sales of diesel vehicles during the winter season to curb air pollution. It is usually the period the state and neighboring regions experience poor to severe deterioration in air quality primarily due to stubble burning in surrounding states like Punjab and Haryana. The steep rise in pollution prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management to trigger emergency measures under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), leading to the ban on all private construction activity as well.

As mentioned, petrol four-wheelers complying with BS3 emission standards and diesel vehicles complying with BS4 standards are banned till December 9. They are likely to be allowed to ply in the state once the commission lifts Stage 3 restrictions. Vehicles on government duty or providing emergency services are exempt, it said. Delhi government lifted the ban on Bharat Stage (BS) 3 petrol cars and Bharat Stage 4 diesel cars on November 14 this year.

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to the "severe" category on Sunday. Though, the AQI showed an improvement on Monday, making it to the "very poor" category with a reading of 347 at 4 pm, which is an improvement of 60 points from Sunday's 407.