The Delhi government has announced an early and wide-ranging set of measures to tackle the smog that settles over the capital every winter. The Delhi winter pollution plan, announced on Monday, takes effect from 1 November and combines office, traffic and construction restrictions.
Offices and vehicles
Government and private offices will be required to operate with 50% of staff working from home from 1 November. Vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards will face entry restrictions, and parking charges in the city will be doubled to discourage private car use.
The “No PUCC, No Fuel” rule, under which vehicles without a valid pollution-under-control certificate cannot refuel, will be enforced at around 500 fuel stations fitted with automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
Construction curbs through winter
Dust-generating construction activity will be banned until 31 January 2027. A complete construction ban will apply from 10 December 2026 to 20 January 2027, the period when stagnant air and low temperatures usually trap pollutants close to the ground.
Balancing air quality and livelihoods
Officials said the measures are intended to act before air quality slips into the “severe” category, rather than reacting after the fact. Construction workers’ groups and small businesses have in past years raised concerns about lost income during bans, and transporters are likely to seek clarity on how entry restrictions will be enforced at the borders. Weather extremes elsewhere in north India this season, including heavy rain in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, have also kept environmental policy in focus. Full details of the plan are reported by The Hindu.
Today’s News 28 Sep 2026 · 10 stories
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