Delhi: Ban on entry of commercial goods vehicles below BS-IV norms kicks in

New Delhi | More than 250 vehicles were returned from Delhi's borders on Saturday as a ban on the entry of commercial goods vehicles not registered here and compliant with BS-III or lower emission standards came into force in the national capital.

Transport department and traffic police teams have been deployed at Delhi's borders.

According to official data from the Delhi Traffic Police, 5,325 non-destined vehicles were checked and 256 of those turned back.

Challans were issued to 1,747 vehicles for not having valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates.

The transport department, in collaboration with the traffic police, has formed 23 teams for enforcement purposes, officials said.

The 23 locations where the teams have been deployed include the Kundli border, the Rajokri border, the Tikri border, the Aya Nagar border, the Kalindi Kunj border, the Auchandi border, Mandoli, Kapashera and the Bajghera toll or Dwarka Expressway, they said.

According to the officials, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 vehicles in Delhi are below BS-IV emission standards.

There will be no restrictions on the entry of commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi, BS-VI compliant vehicles or those running on CNG, LNG or electricity.

At a meeting on October 17, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) approved a sweeping ban on the entry of polluting commercial vehicles into Delhi from November 1, amid the city's pollution woes.

Delhi's air quality slips to 'very poor'; visibility drops amid smoke and fog

New Delhi | With smoke and fog reducing visibility across the city, Delhi's air quality deteriorated further on Saturday, falling into the 'very poor' category with an overall AQI reading of 303 compared to 218 a day earlier.

The city's primary weather station at Safdarjung reported a visibility of 900 metres with calm winds, while Palam recorded a visibility of 1,300 metres with south-southwesterly winds at 4 kmph.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), shallow fog mixed with smoke prevailed over both stations. An IMD weather expert noted that the reduced visibility was due to the combined effect of smoke and fog.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's average Air Quality Index stood at 303 at 4 pm, indicating a sharp decline in air quality.

Wazirpur reported the highest pollution level in the city with an AQI of 383, placing it in the 'very poor' category, according to data on the CPCB's Sameer app.

Out of 38 monitoring stations in the national capital, 26 recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category (above 300), while the remaining stations fell in the 'poor' category (below 300).

According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum settled at 19.4 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The humidity level stood at 73 per cent at 5.30 pm.

Additionally, the IMD has forecast shallow fog for Sunday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 31 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively.