StatesDelhi
Delhi's winter curbs begin: outside BS-IV vehicles barred, offices at half strength
From Sunday, older diesel and petrol vehicles registered outside Delhi cannot enter the city, dusty construction stops and parking costs double, under measures that run into early next year.
Key points
- Vehicles from outside Delhi of BS-IV standard or older are barred until 31 January.
- Government and private offices are capped at 50% physical attendance, with essential services exempt.
- Parking fees at authorised lots are doubled until 28 February, except at DMRC lots.
Delhi’s winter pollution curbs came into force at midnight, and for the next three months the city will look and move a little differently. Vehicles registered outside Delhi that meet BS-IV or older emission standards can no longer run in the capital, and the ban holds until 31 January.
The Delhi government’s Environment Department announced the package late on Saturday, saying it was meant “to tackle pollution directly at its source”. CNG and electric vehicles are exempt, as are ambulances, fire tenders and police vehicles.
Offices, building sites and parking
Government and private offices have been told to keep physical attendance at 50% until 31 January, with essential services left out of the cap. Office hours are staggered to thin out the rush: Municipal Corporation offices will work from 8:30 am to 5 pm and Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6:30 pm.
Demolition and outdoor civil construction that raises dust are banned until 31 January. Essential public infrastructure is exempt, and indoor finishing, plumbing and electrical work can carry on if dust is kept in check. A separate, complete halt on construction and demolition is planned from 10 December to 20 January.
Parking will cost more too. Fees at authorised lots are doubled from 1 November to 28 February, though lots run by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation keep their old rates, a nudge towards the Metro.
Cameras and challans
The Transport Department, Delhi Traffic Police, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Municipal Corporation will enforce the rules. Number-plate recognition cameras and the AI-enabled Integrated Command and Control Centre will track vehicles, and those that break the ban will get automatic e-challans and may be impounded. Building sites caught flouting the order face stop-work notices, environmental compensation and possible sealing.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta asked residents to cooperate. “Do not bring restricted vehicles registered outside Delhi into the city,” she said, and urged people to “reduce non-essential use of personal vehicles, prioritizing public transit and carpooling instead.”