Delhi winter pollution curbs take effect today: non-BS6 vehicles from outside barred, no fuel without a pollution certificate, half of office staff to work from home

Delhi's winter air pollution controls take effect today (November 1) and run until January 31, 2027. Under arrangements from the Delhi government's Environment and Transport Departments, petrol and diesel vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards may not enter the national capital during this period; CNG vehicles, electric vehicles and designated emergency or essential-service vehicles are exempt. The Transport Department and Delhi Traffic Police have set up strict border checkpoints, backed by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and an AI-enabled Integrated Command and Control Centre, and vehicles arriving in violation are turned back.

No certificate, no fuel; parking fees doubled; half of staff working from home

Also in force from today is the “no PUC, no fuel” policy: vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will be refused fuel at petrol pumps, including petrol, diesel and CNG. Parking fees at authorised lots double from November 1 to February 28, 2027, except lots owned and managed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Government and private offices must ensure at most 50 percent of staff attend workplaces in person, with the rest working from home, until January 31, 2027; all dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction are suspended over the same period to cut dust pollution.

Chief minister appealed for cooperation on Saturday; the curbs sit inside the winter graded response plan

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta appealed on Saturday to citizens, vehicle owners, construction agencies and residents' associations to follow the restrictions starting Sunday, saying the Environment Department had made all necessary preparations for effective enforcement. The package sits inside the capital's winter air pollution control framework and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP): each winter, Delhi's air quality worsens as temperatures fall, winds weaken and surrounding burning adds to the load, and vehicle entry curbs and construction controls are the two measures that most directly affect residents' daily movement. For owners of older vehicles in neighbouring Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, the practical check before driving into the capital this winter is whether the vehicle meets BS-VI standards.