Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday urged the Centre to permit only CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant vehicles in Delhi-NCR to combat vehicular pollution.

In a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, he expressed concerns about the expected deterioration in air quality in the coming days due to Diwali and stubble burning in neighbouring states. “Therefore, an emergency meeting should be convened with NCR states to address the issue,” he said. Rai suggested that the Centre should also implement a ban on all vehicles non-compliant with BS VI norms in the entire National Capital Region.

“Looking at the rise in the level of pollution in the last two days, construction has been banned in Delhi from yesterday. Today there has been an improvement in the level of pollution as compared to yesterday. The situation is still serious. I am writing a letter to the Central Government saying that the Union Environment Minister should call an emergency meeting of the Environment Ministers of all five states immediately. Because the orders of CAQM are not being implemented in the states. Rules are being made, and CAQM is giving directions, but in the whole NCR, rules are being violated. This is the problem of the whole of North India,” the Delhi Minister wrote in the letter.

Rai also appealed to the UP government to stop sending BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles “that emit so much smoke” to Delhi. He said that these vehicles are banned in Delhi, where only electric and CNG buses are allowed.

“It’s my request to the Uttar Pradesh government, to stop sending such vehicles that emit so much smoke...we have stopped all the construction in Delhi currently, BS3, BS4 vehicles are banned, but these vehicles coming from outside, I request Yogi to stop this so that we can control the pollution due to vehicle, Rai said on Friday night after visiting the Anand Vihar bus depot. “The Delhi government is taking various steps to reduce the pollution in Delhi but we saw that since morning, Anand Vihar has the highest AQI, so I came here tonight to understand why it is happening,” he added.

Starting from November 1, only electric, CNG, and BS VI-compliant diesel buses are allowed to operate between Delhi and the cities and towns in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan that fall within the National Capital Region (NCR), according to directions issued by the Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).

Various emission inventory and source apportionment studies conducted for Delhi in recent years have indicated that on-road vehicular exhaust emissions contribute to 9 to 38 per cent of PM2.5 emissions in the capital.  Pollution levels in Delhi and its surrounding areas saw a marginal decrease overnight due to relatively better wind speed, although the concentration of harmful PM2.5 particles remained over 80 times the healthy limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

A thick, toxic haze has persisted over the city for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, causing concern among doctors regarding the increasing respiratory and eye problems in children and the elderly.

Air quality in Delhi-NCR has deteriorated over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and an increase in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board reveals that Delhi’s Air Quality Index rose by over 200 points between October 27 and November 3, resulting in its classification as ‘severe plus’ (above 450) on Friday.