Entry of diesel-run goods vehicles banned between November and February in Delhi

There will be no restriction on CNG and electric vehicles, which will be allowed to ply across the city,” said a senior Delhi government official.
Image used for representational purpose only. (Photo | Express)
Image used for representational purpose only. (Photo | Express)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Thursday issued an order restricting the entry of all diesel-run medium and heavy goods vehicles in the national capital from November 1 this year to February next year, in a move that is aimed at curbing vehicular emissions, said officials.

According to officials, the entry of such vehicles will be banned from November 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. “The entry of all diesel-run medium and heavy goods vehicles will be banned during this period, except for those carrying essential commodities (milk, vegetables, medicines, etc). There will be no restriction on CNG and electric vehicles, which will be allowed to ply across the city,” said a senior Delhi government official.

In Delhi and NCR towns, vehicular emissions constitute the largest contributor to overall pollution levels, which becomes a health hazard. Delhi sees extremely high levels of air pollution during winter with peak pollution episodes observed during November-January.

Usually, the entry of trucks, except for those carrying essential commodities, is banned as a pre-emptive measure for a period of 15-20 days depending on the severity of the pollution under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Besides, crop-stubble burning, which is one of the major factors for the peak air pollution episodes between October –November, vehicular and industrial emissions contribute to high levels of pollution during the rest of the winter.

Over 70,000-80,000 trucks enter the city from various Delhi borders on a daily basis, said officials. On June 15, the Delhi government had written to its neighbouring states, including Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, urging them to allow only BS VI-compliant buses to enter Delhi from October 1 in order to help control air pollution in the region.

This was mainly because a large influx of vehicles in the city is coming from NCR towns such as Noida and Gurugram. Truck associations termed the move “anti-people” and said they were not consulted before the decision.

Carrying essential goods: Associations
Truck associations say at least 40% of the medium and heavy-duty vehicles coming into Delhi are of essential commodities. Besides, there are so many wholesalers receiving their goods via these vehicles

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