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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
‘Clean fuel norms will transform NCR by 2026': CAQM chief Rajesh Verma
The National Capital Region (NCR) is undergoing a critical transformation in the way it moves — not just in terms of technology, but in vision, said Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) chairperson Rajesh Verma on Thursday, making a strong case for clean mobility on World Environment Day. Speaking at Urban Adda 2025, a three-day event hosted by the Raahgiri Foundation, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and GuruJal, Verma delivered the keynote address on the final day, underscoring that vehicular emissions remain at the heart of NCR's air pollution crisis. HT is a media partner for the event. 'Among the many contributors to air pollution, vehicular emissions remain one of the most pressing issues,' Verma said, highlighting how the explosive growth in vehicle numbers has vastly outpaced infrastructure. 'Between 1981 and 2021, the number of vehicles in Delhi grew 21-fold, while the road length only doubled.' Verma said, stating vehicles were growing at a much rapid pace, thus making the transition to cleaner fuels a slow but gradual exercise. Delhi today has 15.2 million registered vehicles growing at 6% annually, while the rest of NCR accounts for another 11.4 million vehicles, growing at an even faster 8%. Although the Capital occupies just 2.7% of NCR's land area, it houses 57% of its vehicles — placing extraordinary strain on infrastructure and contributing significantly to the region's toxic air, Verma said. Since its establishment in 2021, the CAQM has pushed aggressively to clean up transport — from public to private. 'We have adopted an integrated and sustained strategy,' Verma said, involving cleaner fuels, faster EV adoption, and improvements in public transport access and reliability. The data shared also showed that much of the fleet remains dependent on polluting fuels. Verma shared data that 82% of vehicles in Delhi still run on petrol, 7% on diesel, 8% on CNG, and only 2.8% are electric or hybrid. Just 18% of the city's fleet is BS-IV compliant. 'Older vehicles — BS-IV and below — are responsible for nearly 70% of the city's vehicular pollution. Phasing them out is a key priority,' he said. Expanding EV infrastructure is central to this transition. Charging stations have rapidly multiplied across NCR, creating the ecosystem needed to support electric mobility. The CAQM has also tightened norms for new vehicles. Since January 2023, registration of diesel-run auto-rickshaws has been banned in NCR, with a complete phase-out due by December 2026. From November this year, only cleaner-fuel commercial goods vehicles will be allowed into Delhi. Beginning November 1, 2026, buses and All India Tourist Permit vehicles entering Delhi must be electric, CNG, or BS-VI compliant. The government is also targeting fast-growing logistics sectors. 'Aggregator fleets, delivery vehicles, and e-commerce logistics are growing faster than any other category,' Verma said. From January 1, 2026, only CNG or EVs can be added to these fleets — no new diesel or petrol vehicles will be permitted. 'These measures will be enforced through advanced surveillance systems and integrated command centres,' Verma said, stressing the importance of complementing technology with strong on-ground enforcement. 'We're working closely with enforcement agencies to ensure this is implemented properly.' Verma said the region is already beginning to see the results of these efforts. 'Since 2018, the number of good to moderate AQI days in Delhi has increased by 30%. Poor to severe days have reduced by nearly a quarter,' he said. Calling for continued collaboration, Verma said, 'Air pollution is a dynamic challenge that demands vigilance, innovation, and constant enforcement. CAQM is committed to bringing global best practices to India, striking a balance between present-day needs and a sustainable future.'
Mint
2 days ago
- Health
- Mint
Only clean-fuel buses, app-based cabs and e-commerce fleets to enter Delhi from 2026
New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday issued new directions that tighten emission norms for a wide range of vehicles entering Delhi, a city that suffers from high levels of air pollution. According to the World Air Quality Report 2024, published in March by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, 13 of the world's top 20 most polluted cities are in India, with Byrnihat in Assam topping the list, followed by Delhi. From 1 November 2026, only buses running on BS-VI diesel, CNG, or electricity will be allowed into Delhi under service regimes such as contract carriage, school or institutional permits and All India Tourist Permits, as per a government notification issued by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change. The mandate will also apply to tourist buses and fleet vehicles operated by app-based cab companies and e-commerce companies. The enforcement for these entities will begin earlier—from 1 January 2026. The directions, however, will not apply to vehicles registered in Delhi. The CAQM said the move is necessary as the transport sector continues to be a major source of air pollution in the national capital and across NCR, with the problem becoming worse during winter months. Buses and commercial fleets running on older, more polluting fuels are among the biggest contributors to toxic emissions, it said. The new rule builds on earlier orders that had already restricted fuel-use in intercity buses coming to Delhi-NCR from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh. These older directions will continue to remain in force, as per the ministry. In a separate but related measure, CAQM has made it mandatory for ride-hailing, logistics and e-commerce fleets operating in Delhi-NCR to transition to cleaner fuel options starting 1 January 2026. From that date, only electric or CNG three-wheelers will be allowed to be added to their fleets. No new diesel or petrol-run vehicles—two-wheelers, or four-wheeler light commercial vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes)—will be permitted for induction, it said. However, the existing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles already in service may continue to operate for the time being. Delhi had already taken the lead on this front by notifying the Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme in 2023. CAQM has now urged other NCR states—Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan—to frame similar policies, especially targeting high vehicle-density cities such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, where e-commerce and aggregator fleets are a major part of the daily traffic. A separate ban on the entry of commercial goods vehicles—light, medium or heavy—that do not meet BS-VI, CNG, LNG, or electric norms is already set to kick in from 1 November 2025. These rules too exempt vehicles registered in Delhi. To ensure effective enforcement, Delhi's Transport and Traffic Police departments have been instructed to use technologies like automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and RFID systems at border points. State governments in NCR have also been told to develop online monitoring platforms and carry out public awareness campaigns to ensure smooth compliance with the new rules. Air pollution in Delhi has worsened, with the annual average PM2.5 concentration rising from 102.4 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 to 108.3 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Better ambient air quality this year in Lucknow, yet not good enough, says IITR report
Though the city has observed better ambient air quality this year as compared to the previous year's pre-monsoon report, it continued to be above the permissible limits of NAAQS despite implementing air pollution control measures in the city such as enforcement of BS-VI compliant vehicles, and promotion of CNG and e-vehicles. This was highlighted in the 'Assessment of Ambient Air Quality of Lucknow City Pre-Monsoon 2025' report released by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) on Wednesday. The particulate matter (PM) concentrations were observed from pre-monsoon 2024 to pre-monsoon 2025. The PM10 concentrations decreased by 9.8%, 14.6%, and 4.9% while PM2.5 concentrations declined by 13.6%, 17.2%, and 17.4% in residential, commercial, and industrial areas, respectively. However, they exceeded the NAAQS limits -- 100 for PM10 and 60 for PM2.5. The PM10 levels remained relatively stable at Aliganj and Vikas Nagar, while Indira Nagar and Gomti Nagar showed an increase in 2024, followed by a decline in 2025. In commercial areas, including Charbagh, the PM levels fluctuated over five years but declined in 2025 as compared to 2024. Overall, commercial areas exhibited a sharp increase in PM10 levels from 2021 to 2024, with a slight decrease in 2025, though values remained above the NAAQS limit. In the industrial area (Amausi), PM10 levels showed a variable trend, increasing from 2023 to a peak in 2024, followed by a slight decline in 2025. The PM2.5 levels remained consistently above the permissible limit in all locations, but commercial and industrial areas consistently recorded higher pollution levels as compared to residential areas. The PM10 concentration was the highest in Gomti Nagar (residential) and Charbagh (commercial), while the PM2.5 levels were the highest in Gomti Nagar (residential) and Chowk (commercial) areas. While both the pollutants can be harmful for health, CSIR-IITR director Bhaskar Narayan said that PM 2.5 can be severe as it can get mixed with the bloodstream. 'This downward trend suggests an overall improvement in air quality across all zones. The observed reduction in the concentration of particulate matter may be due to relatively moderate atmosphere dryness conditions during the 2025 sampling period, as compared to the completely dry seasons in 2024,' the report said. The night time noise level trend in residential areas decreased slightly over the years, except in Aliganj, where a marginal increase was observed. In commercial-cum-traffic areas, noise levels showed an increasing trend, except for Alambagh, which showed a decline. In industrial areas, night time noise levels slightly decreased as compared to the previous year.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- India Gazette
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari meets Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, reviews National Highway projects
New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Wednesday. Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena was also present on the occasion. The Union Minister reviewed the progress of ongoing National Highway projects in Delhi with Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and CM Rekha Gupta. Other MPs and senior officials of the Delhi government were also present at the meeting. On June 3, launching the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced that from November 1, only BS-VI (Bharat Stage 6), CNG, or EV commercial vehicles will be allowed to enter the city. 'From November 1, 2025, any vehicle that comes to Delhi will have to be a BS6, CNG, or EV commercial vehicle,' Gupta said at a press conference. She said that the state government's dream is to chase 'clean, green and healthy Delhi', for which the Environment Ministry of Delhi has drafted an Air Pollution Mitigation Plan for this year. 'Environment Day is very close, and air pollution in Delhi is a matter that is related to all of us. For years, we have been suffering from air pollution. We have a dream - Clean Delhi, Green Delhi, Healthy Delhi. I am very happy that our Environment Department and Minister have drafted a fantastic Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025,' the Delhi CM said. Gupta said that the national capital would witness its first artificial rain 'very soon' with the help of cloud seeding techniques. 'Very soon, Delhi will have its first artificial rain through cloud seeding,' the CM said. She said the Delhi government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with science organisations to utilise innovative techniques to combat pollution. For cloud seeding and artificial rain, an MoU has been signed with IIT Kanpur as a pilot project. 'To reduce and eliminate pollution, we will sign MoUs with all our science organisations, which will use their latest innovations to help the Delhi government fight against pollution. For example, the Delhi government has signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur, which is based on cloud seeding and artificial rain, which we have approved to start as a pilot project,' Gupta said. The Delhi CM said the government was planning to install 'mist sprayers' in areas often categorised as pollution hotspots to manage dust particles. 'It will be mandatory to install anti-smog guns on all high-rise buildings, especially commercial buildings above 3,000 metres, malls, hotels, etc. and due to this, dust mitigation will be reduced in all of Delhi,' Gupta said. She said that the Delhi government also plans to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at all entry points to the metropolitan city, which would allow the identification and stopping of end-of-life vehicles that spread pollution. 'We will install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at all the entry points of Delhi, which will be able to identify end-of-life vehicles, and as soon as the vehicle comes in the range of these cameras, it will be known that this vehicle is an end-of-life vehicle and is spreading pollution, so they will be traced and stopped immediately. These cameras will also be installed at all petrol pumps, and we will be able to detect end-of-life vehicles... Together, we can deal with the big problem of pollution in Delhi,' the Delhi CM said. (ANI)
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Delhi bans non-BS6, non-CNG, non-EV commercial vehicles from November 1
In a major step to curb air pollution in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, a multi-pronged strategy aimed at tackling vehicular emissions, dust pollution, and solid waste while promoting clean mobility and green the core of the new plan is a sweeping regulation that will bar all non-compliant commercial vehicles from entering Delhi starting November 1, 2025. Only BS-VI, CNG, or electric commercial vehicles will be accelerate Delhi's transition to electric mobility, the government will deploy 2,299 electric autos at major Delhi Metro stations and install 18,000 public and semi-public EV charging points across malls, transit hubs, and commercial zones. An audit and upgrade of existing EV infrastructure is also in the pipeline. A revised EV policy will guide the city's shift, including plans for 80% of government fleets to run on clean fuel. In sensitive ecological zones like forests and protected areas, only EVs will be allowed, with non-essential, non-electric vehicles phased out in curb emissions from older vehicles, the city will install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at all border entry points. These will automatically detect and flag End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles, triggering real-time SMS alerts and billboard warnings to deter entry. ANPR cameras will also be placed at petrol pumps for a smart intelligent traffic system will be introduced to tackle congestion, one of the major contributors to vehicular pollution. Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres will now undergo audits every six months to ensure public concerns, CM Gupta ruled out reviving the Odd-Even scheme, citing its limited effectiveness and inconvenience. 'We need solutions that are scalable and sustainable, not temporary fixes,' she to Auto Today Magazine
