CAQM blames vehicular emission for poor AQI in Delhi-NCR; requests SC to reconsider relief given to older vehicles

Blaming vehicular pollution for being a major contributor to poor AQI in Delhi-NCR, the Centre for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider the relief given to older vehicles.

“Vehicular pollution is one of the most significant contributing sectors to the generally poor air quality in Delhi-NCR. Abatement of vehicular pollution thus has been one of the main focus areas of the Commission in its deliberations with the NCR State Governments and GNCTD,” the CAQM said in an affidavit filed in the top court.

The Commission requested the court to review its August 12 order that said no coercive steps can be taken against owners of 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles in the national capital.

“For controlling vehicular emissions, BS-III and below standard vehicles are required to be kept out of purview of order dated August 12, 2025, of the Supreme Court in… considering the emission potential of these vehicles in comparison to BS-VI emission standards,” it said.

“About 2,305 such buses ply on a daily basis for the intercity bus services from the noted States to any other city in NCR other than Delhi. All these buses are now on BS-VI diesel/CNG/EV mode,” it said.

To combat the adverse air quality scenario during the Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi & NCR (GRAP), transport/commercial goods vehicles having pre-BS-VI standards are being restricted under different stages of the GRAP, it said.

The NCR state governments and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) should expeditiously notify vehicle aggregators’ policies and develop a portal for monitoring and strict enforcement of the zero parking on road policy from October to January, it said.

Expressing reservations over stubble burning by farmers being the main contributor to the ongoing Delhi-NCR air pollution crisis, the Supreme Court had on December 1 sought to know the long-term measures taken to contain other pollutants.

“Stubble burning was there during COVID, but how could people still see clear blue skies? This suggests that other factors are at play,” a Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi had said.

“Why? Something to be thought about and other factors... We would like to have a report within a week on the measures taken to contain other factors,” it had said.

The CAQM suggested the NCR state governments and the Delhi government to review and revise their electric vehicle (EV) policies to accelerate the transition of two-wheelers, three-wheelers, cars, buses and commercial vehicles to EV with explicit timelines and implementation plans.

It recommended imposition of higher Environment Protection Charges (presently only 1 per cent) on vehicles of the luxury segment, diesel cars/SUVs of 2000 cc capacity and above, as stipulated in order dated August 12, 2016. Funds so collected may be utilised in consultation with the CAQM for abatement of air pollution in NCR, it added.

The Commission said the deployment of the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) in Delhi and in the major urban agglomerates particularly Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Gurugram, Faridabad and Sonipat for smooth and improved traffic movement.

“Considering the emissions from coal-based thermal power plants, henceforth, no new coal-based thermal power plants should be allowed to be established within 300 km from Delhi and beyond, if required,” the Commission said.

The Commission said while public transport buses (city buses) in Delhi have been operating on cleaner fuels, namely CNG/E-buses, a large number of intercity bus services from the cities and towns in the NCR states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to Delhi and other areas in the NCR were still operating through diesel buses to BS-IV/lower standards.

About 3,018 intercity buses on average ply to Delhi on a daily basis from various cities in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and all of these have now been shifted completely to much cleaner BS-VI diesel/CNG/EV mode, it said.