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New Delhi: Do you still drive an end-of-life vehicle (ELV) in the Delhi-national capital region (NCR)? You may be refused fuel if caught, officials aware of the plan to curb pollution in the city said.
The government has set up a panel to craft a comprehensive strategy, potentially including banning commercial vehicles with engines below BS-VI from entering Delhi, to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, they said, requesting not to be identified.
The plan would also look to curb pollution in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, as foul air in these neighbouring states has a spillover effect on the national capital.
It’s illegal to keep using end-of-life vehicles, as they have completed their useful life and are no longer registered. In Delhi-NCR, diesel cars older than 10 years and petrol variants above 15 years are considered end-of-life vehicles.
This comes against the backdrop of poor air quality in the national capital every year, especially during winter months, due to vehicular pollution, slow wind speed and other meteorological conditions and stubble burning. There are two major pollution peaks – one coincides with the stubble burning period and the second peak is in December-January, which is mostly meteorology-driven and vehicular pollution.
Also read | India plans stricter quality standards to tackle air pollution
A consultative committee, formed last month and comprising officials from Niti Aayog, Union transport and highways ministry, petroleum ministry, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), ICCT (International Council on Clean Transport), and CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas), is planning to ask petrol pumps in Delhi-NCR and neighbouring states to refuse fuel to people with end-of-life vehicles after detection through automatic number plate readers (ANPR), stop commercial vehicles with an engine below BS-VI to enter Delhi, offer incentives for vehicle scraps to promote electric vehicles, and strictly enforce construction norms in neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.
Additionally, paddy stubble burning will be surveiled more actively district-wise from next year, with more utilization of in-situ machines and ex-situ applications of burning biomass, the two officials said.
“Air pollution, especially in Delhi, requires a long-term solution. We need to take care of the environment, but at the same time, we cannot stop economic activity,” one of the officials cited earlier said.
“Vehicular emissions are persistent throughout the year and a major source of air pollution in Delhi. To address it and come up with a long-term solution, we formed a consultative group about a month ago, taking officials across various ministries like transport, heavy industries, Niti Aayog, ARAI, ICCT, CAQM and similar organizations in the vehicle segment,” the official added.
“There are 2-3 issues related to vehicular emissions. To address them and reduce air pollution gradually, we are thinking of taking a few policies measures. Commercial vehicles are big pollutants. Under GRAP-IV, we stop commercial vehicles with below a BS-VI engine to enter Delhi. The long-term solution to this that we are mulling is to completely stop their entry to Delhi-NCR round the year,” the official said.
Also read | Centre plans to add 20 more air quality monitoring stations in Delhi
“The older the vehicle, the more emissions. BS-III and below engine vehicles are highly polluting and they are anyway ELVs. One issue is to deal with ELVs, scrap them or give them NoC so they take them out of NCR. State governments have been given advice to use the ANPR system and take actions for impounding, scrapping, etc. “
The ministry of petroleum and natural gas (MoPNG) has already issued an advisory to fuel stations to install ANPRs in Delhi by February. Once the ANPR system is installed at all fuel stations in Delhi, “We are discussing not providing them with fuel. Once an ELV enters a fuel station, ANPR will detect it and alert us through an alarm. Once Delhi is covered, we will aim at covering NCR and states like UP, Haryana and Rajasthan as vehicular emissions and PM2.5 in air of adjoining states are affecting Delhi,” the official said.
There are over 600 fuel stations in Delhi and at present, two-thirds of them have ANPRs, the official informed.
“Additionally, we are talking about promotion of transition to electric vehicles (EVs) because despite BS-VI standards, vehicles are still emitting. Delhi does not have a pollution carrying capacity. So, you must reduce the load.”
The committee is also discussing on how to scrap old vehicles and how to incorporate EVs in new vehicles. Manufacturers are already getting incentives in the form of PLIs. Whether there will be incentive to consumers for scraping their ELVs and switching to EVs is something to be decided, the official said.
Queries sent to the secretaries and spokespersons of road transport and highways, heavy industries and petroleum ministries, CAQM, ARAI, vice-chairman of Niti Aayog and Delhi government remained unanswered till press time.
“Along with vehicles, road condition and road dust are another big issue as they contribute to PM2.5 and PM10. We are planning to come up with norms such as a mechanised way of cleaning dust on the road or vacuum cleaning, end-to-end paving and greening of roads. Greening means growing plants which can hold earth,” the second official said.
Also read | ‘Severe’ air is coming. Here’s the X-factor behind Delhi’s winter poison
“The long-term solution to reduce stubble burning is through more and better usage of in-situ machines or CRM (crop residue management) machines and ex-situ applications of burning biomass like coal, ramping up the substitution to 10% from the existing 5%, etc. We are working with Haryana and Punjab governments to increase ex-situ applications as there’s an economic interest in it for farmers. Next year, we will work closely with district administrations. Hopefully, over the next 2-3 years, we will have a substantial improvement,” the official added.
Delhi-NCR on 16 December enforced graded response action plan (GRAP) stage 4, the strictest level of anti-pollution measure that the city follows, which comes into effect when the air quality index crosses the 400-mark, indicating that air quality is “severe”.
This was the second time this winter that these restrictions were enforced; the first time was in November, when stubble burning was a large contributor to pollution.
The air quality index in the national capital on Monday improved to 173 (moderate) but dipped to the ‘poor’ category at 283 on Tuesday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
An AQI reading of 0-50 is categorized as ‘good’, 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.
“For construction dust, we are thinking of strictly enforcing construction dust norms in Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. Pollution control boards of these three states have already been asked to put a stop to construction work and impose penalties if people do not take anti-dust pollution measures at a 500 sqm construction plot,” the first official said.
And read | Ahead of Diwali, govt plans pollution penalty of up to ₹15 lakh as Delhi smogs up
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