New Delhi: In a move aimed at reducing vehicular emissions and improving air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued multiple directions restricting entry of high-emission vehicles into Delhi.
The commission has announced that starting November 1, 2025, all commercial goods vehicles—Light, Medium and Heavy Goods Vehicles—except those running on BS-VI diesel, CNG, LNG or electric power, will be barred from entering Delhi, unless registered in the city.
The directive, issued under CAQM’s Direction No. 88 dated April 23, 2025, is part of the Commission’s continued effort to tackle air pollution from the transport sector, which is a significant contributor to particulate matter emissions throughout the year and more acutely during winter months.
To extend its pollution abatement measures to the public transport sector, CAQM has now mandated that all buses entering Delhi under various service categories, including those on All India Tourist Permits, must run on cleaner fuels—BS-VI diesel, CNG or electric power—from November 1, 2026. This condition, stated in Statutory Direction No. 93, will not apply to buses registered in Delhi.
Previously, under Direction Nos. 78 and 81, the Commission had stipulated that only BS-VI diesel, CNG, or electric intercity buses would be allowed to ply to Delhi-NCR from other NCR states as well as neighbouring states and Union Territories including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab.
To ensure compliance with the new directions, CAQM has instructed the Transport and Traffic Police Departments of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to implement appropriate enforcement mechanisms such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology at border checkpoints.
The commission has also advised all state governments and UT administrations to ensure wide dissemination of these directions so that only permitted vehicles are routed to Delhi from November 1, 2026 onwards.
