Rs 20,000 Fine Or Turn Away From Border: Old Cars Not Being Allowed In Delhi

A thick layer of toxic smog enveloped the Delhi-Noida border at the DND Flyway on this hazy Thursday morning, with air quality plunging into the 'hazardous' category at the nearby Chilla border, recording an AQI of around 490. Visibility was severely reduced as Delhi Police and transport enforcement teams intensified checks on incoming vehicles under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Delhi transport department officer, Deepak, overseeing operations, said, "We are strictly checking non-BS6 commercial and private vehicles registered outside Delhi. Violators face a Rs 20,000 challan or are forced to make a U-turn. We're also fining drivers without updated Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC)."

Delhi Police barricades have been lined up to slow vehicular movement for checking. 

An UP Traffic Police officer on the ground added: "We're stopping cars that seemingly look old and don't have blue stickers on the car showing BS 6 vehicles. We have also been directed to fine 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles of BS-III emission standards (or lower)." 

Rakesh, a Faridabad resident, stopped while driving his BS3 Hyundai Creta and expressed frustration: "The central government is unable to control pollution, and we have to pay fines for it. I live in Faridabad and didn't know about this rule. Traffic police are randomly checking cars - we pay road tax, but what about government buses? Their emissions aren't being checked."

Monitoring involves portable machines where vehicle registration numbers are entered to verify BS norms and PUCC validity instantly.

Transport contributes over 20% of PM2.5 in winter, with 93% of Delhi-NCR's 2.88 crore vehicles being light motor vehicles and two-wheelers. Around 37% are BS-Ill or older, emitting up to 31 times more particulate matter and 16 times more nitrogen dioxide.

Deepak, a Delhi transport officer, added, "Through media, people should know about vehicular pollution by now. If owners try alternate routes, we have forces deployed across checkpoints - Delhi Traffic Police and transport teams are spanned everywhere; they can't escape. With political will and public awareness, this can help fight vehicular pollution."

After days of 'severe' air quality, Delhi barred non-BS VI vehicles registered outside the capital. Vehicular emissions contribute over 20-40% to winter PM2.5 in the NCR, with older vehicles emitting far higher pollutants.

Experts emphasise broader measures. Vehicles contribute around 40% to Delhi's PM2.5. The PUC system fails to measure particulate matter effectively. Scrappage policies and stronger public transport must accompany bans to curb transboundary pollution. 

Former Transport Commissioner Anil Chhikara, told NDTV: "Practical tailpipe emission enforcement and a dedicated pollution task force are urgently needed. The Delhi government's knee-jerk, last-minute measures approach remains unsustainable and unprofessional, compounded by hackers issuing fake PUCC certificates and a glaring lack of interstate coordination despite BJP governments in power."