NEW DELHI: While cities such as London, Paris and Berlin have introduced stringent restrictions on polluting vehicles to improve air quality, Delhi's latest winter pollution-control measure takes a different approach by combining vehicle emission standards with the place of registration.
The capital on the weekend barred vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards from entering the city between November 1 and January 31 — an annual feature, leaving thousands of commuters from Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad facing difficulties.
In contrast, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which currently operates across all London boroughs, regulates vehicles based on their emission standards, irrespective of where they are registered.
According to the government's transport department, petrol cars generally need to meet Euro 4 standards and diesel cars Euro 6 standards. Vehicles that fail to comply are charged £12.50 per day to enter the zone.
The rules apply equally to foreign-registered vehicles, which must also be registered with Transport for London, even if they meet the required standards.
Meanwhile, Paris follows a similar emission-based approach through its Crit’Air classification system, which categorises vehicles according to their pollution levels. Since January 2025, Crit’Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles have faced restrictions in the metropolitan low-emission zone.
However, the city has introduced a 24-day annual pass for Crit’Air 3 vehicles and a period without sanctions until the end of 2026.
In Germany, vehicles must display colour-coded stickers indicating their emission category. Foreign-registered vehicles are also required to comply. Amsterdam, meanwhile, restricts diesel cars below Euro 5 standards within its A10 ring road, while Brussels, from January 2026, had barred Euro 5 diesel and Euro 2 petrol vehicles from its low-emission zone.
However, Delhi alone has restricted the entry of cars that are not BS-VI compliant and are registered outside Delhi.
A city-based environmentalist, Bhavreen Kandhari, said, “Air pollution does not recognise state borders, and neither should pollution control policies. If a BS-IV vehicle is polluting, it does not become cleaner simply because it carries a Delhi registration number. Why should a vehicle of the same emission category be allowed to ply in Delhi if registered in Delhi, but face an entry ban if registered in Haryana or Uttar Pradesh?”
Commuters facing the brunt
Indirapuram-based resident Ishfaq Hamid, who has a shop in Chandni Chowk, said, “I was not expecting that my car's registration number would become a reason for me to change my daily commute. I now take the Metro to enter Delhi, even though driving would have been much more convenient. I understand the need to control pollution, but the rules should be uniform for vehicles with similar emission standards, irrespective of whether they are registered in Delhi or NCR. Since there is no direct Metro, I am spending almost Rs 300 to reach central Delhi.”
Meanwhile, a Gurugram-based resident, Sana, who is a professor at Jamia Hamdard, used to drive to the varsity every day. However, since the implementation of the ban, she has become dependent on the Metro. “I was not expecting that my car's registration number would become a reason for me to change my daily commute. These days, I am just juggling between the Metro, auto-rickshaws and battery rickshaws.”
Delhi metro ridership rises
Delhi Metro recorded a significant increase in passenger boardings on November 2, 2026, with total boardings reaching 80,54,968 compared to 72,24,094 on the previous Monday, reflecting an increase of over 8.3 lakh boardings.
“The rise in passenger boardings may be attributed to the implementation of GRAP-I measures and restrictions on the operation of certain non-BS VI vehicles in Delhi, which encouraged more commuters to shift towards public transport,” read the official statement by the DMRC on Tuesday.
Delhi Metro is running 40 extra trips to facilitate passenger movement, besides making additional facilitation arrangements at its stations as and when required.
