Key Facts

Delhi began enforcing its winter pollution-control restrictions on the entry of non-BS-VI vehicles registered outside the city. On the first day, about 7,279 vehicles were checked, 714 were turned back and 38 were impounded. Long queues and congestion at border checkpoints raised questions about the design of enforcement and coordination with neighbouring states. Experts note that vehicles are only one source of pollution and that dust, industrial and construction emissions must also be addressed.

GK Context

Bharat Stage VI emission norms, equivalent to Euro 6, came into force across India on 1 April 2020, skipping the BS-V stage. The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas, set up in 2021, coordinates action across Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) lists curbs that apply as air quality worsens. A Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate shows that a vehicle meets in-use emission limits.