Diwali to Delhi drive: Ban on BS3, BS4 Cars Stays for a cleaner capital
Delhi : Delhi will continue to prohibit BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars till further notice. Delhi's Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, said that all actions falling under the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue one day after the national capital's pollution levels increased on Sunday night due to the Diwali celebrations. After rain helped clean the air last Friday, the minister attributed the most recent increase in pollution on firework explosions. The state administration had originally intended to revive the Odd-Even regulation to limit vehicle emissions, but eventually shelved those intentions.
The police in Delhi have begun to tighten down on those who don't follow the guidelines for GRAP Stage 4. Over 2,000 automobiles were found to be missing their Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates. The prohibition on BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars has also resulted in fines for a number of automobiles. A heavy punishment of ₹20,000 has been threatened for breaking the restrictions by the police authorities in the separate cities.
The Delhi authorities convened an emergency meeting early on Monday, November 13, to assess the city's pollution levels one day following Diwali. On Sunday, celebrants resorted to wild festivities despite the Supreme Court's order banning firecrackers, which caused the air to become ten times more polluted than it was before. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the PM 2.5 level in Delhi reached its highest point around 1 am, with 570 micrograms per cubic metre.
Press conference was called by Goapl Rai shortly after the meeting. The minister made it clear that GRAP Stage 4 measures will continue even though no new ones were introduced to reduce pollution. "In Delhi, actions under Stage 4 of the Center's air pollution control plan will persist until further directives are issued," he said.
Since the national capital's pollution levels had been dangerously high for the previous week, Delhi had already begun implementing Stage 4 of the GRAP. The prohibition on BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel cars was expanded to include nearby cities like Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana's Gurugram and Faridabad.
