NEW DELHI, Nov. 1 — Authorities in India’s National Capital Region (NCR) on Sunday imposed aggressive administrative restrictions, directing all public and private offices to operate with 50% of staff working from home and banning non-BS-VI compliant vehicles as deteriorating air quality reached alarming levels ahead of peak winter.
Under the comprehensive emergency directives effective November 1, all vehicles failing to meet Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms are barred from operating within Delhi through January 31, 2027. Exemptions remain strictly confined to electric vehicles, compressed natural gas (CNG) units, and emergency response services, including ambulances and fire engines. Law enforcement will enforce the mandate via automated e-challans supported by specialized ground surveillance squads, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera networks, and AI-enabled traffic control hubs.
Simultaneously, municipal regulators ordered an immediate suspension of all civil construction and demolition activities across the capital, exempting only essential public infrastructure and emergency utility projects.
To alleviate vehicular congestion and lower peak traffic emissions, staggered office schedules have been instituted. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will function from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while Government of NCT of Delhi administrative offices will run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. To discourage private vehicle use, municipal authorities have doubled public parking fees across the city.
In a further enforcement layer, fuel pumps throughout Delhi are barred from dispensing petrol or diesel to vehicles lacking a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Nearly 500 retail fuel stations have been equipped with ANPR surveillance systems to automatically flag and penalize non-compliant motorists.
The latest escalation follows the initial activation of Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on October 21, as meteorological conditions, crop-residue burning, and urban emissions continue to push Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) into the “severe” threshold.