State Bureau, New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has taken its biggest initiative so far to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR and provide relief from toxic smoke.
In the 29th high-level meeting chaired by the Commission's Chairman Rajesh Verma, the pollution from commercial cargo vehicles, one of the biggest causes of air pollution, was discussed.
The Commission has approved new guidelines for industries and construction units in the NCR besides imposing strict restrictions on commercial vehicles that emit dangerous levels of pollution.
Ban on new registration of diesel and petrol LGV vehicles
The Commission has issued Direction No. 102 and decided to impose a phased ban on new registration of Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) in Delhi and NCR.
These vehicles may represent 1.2 per cent of the road surface, but they contribute 3.3 per cent of total vehicular PM emissions. This decision will ban new registrations of diesel, petrol, and CNG N1 category LGVs in Delhi from January 1, 2027.
The ban will come into effect in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar from July 1, 2027. In the remaining NCR districts, it will come into effect from January 1, 2028. The ban on N2 category vehicles will begin between 2028 and 2029.
Crackdown on stone crusher units and industries
Similarly, directive No 103 has been issued to curb dust emissions. Stone crusher centres in the NCR will now be continuously monitored using technologies such as cameras (CCTV), PM 2.5/10 sensors, and wheel washing.
Apart from this, the process of restarting closed industries has been tightened by making affidavit and payment of environmental compensation (EC) mandatory.
Rs 3.25 crore approved for research work
The Commission has approved assistance of Rs 3.25 crore to four R&D projects for research on pollution prevention, modern methods of road cleaning, PM profiling in high-rise buildings and rehearsal of stubble burning.
Rs 61.85 crore fine on power plants
A fine of Rs 61.85 crore was imposed on six thermal power plants for not utilising biomass (stubble) properly, out of which Rs 30.92 crore has been recovered.
The Commission also informed that 1,816 violating units were ordered to be closed by August 10, 2026, out of which 1,461 units have resumed operations after complying with the norms.
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Plantation drive gains momentum
Out of the target of planting 46 million trees for the year 2026-27, more than 25.3 million trees have been planted by August 4, 2026. The Commission has directed the officials to complete the remaining target soon and ensure the maintenance of the trees.