Ban on BS III petrol, BS IV diesel vehicles to continue: Delhi govt

NEW DELHI: Movement of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles in Delhi will remain banned till November 13, while trucks will be allowed to enter the national capital, according to officials.

As the city's air quality improved, the Delhi government on Monday also decided to reopen primary classes from November 9 and revoke the order that asked 50 per cent of its staff to work from home.

"BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi will remain banned under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)," Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said at a press conference here on Monday.

The transport department, in an order, said the vehicles found plying in violation of the rule will be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act, which could invite a fine of Rs 20,000.

Vehicles deployed for emergency services, and government and election-related work do not come under the ban's purview.

"As per the directions provided under Stage III of revised GRAP, there will be a restriction to ply BS- III petrol and BS- IV diesel light motor vehicles (four-wheelers) in the jurisdiction of NCT of Delhi. The above directions will remain enforced till November 13 or downward revision in GRAP stage, whichever is earlier. The restrictions will continue beyond November 13, if CAQM (Centre for Air Quality Management) orders GRAP-III and above restrictions," the order read.

"If any BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel LMV is found plying on roads, it will be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988," it further stated.

The department, in another order, said there will be no ban on the entry of trucks into Delhi and Delhi-registered diesel operated medium goods and heavy goods vehicles.

In a related development, LocalCircles, a community social media platform, conducted a survey which received responses from over 9,000 owners of BS-IV diesel cars.

According to the survey, a section of the car owners expressed displeasure at the CAQM move. Nearly 11 per cent of them said they will violate the ban and face the consequences, while 25 per cent said they will switch to public transport. Another 49 per cent diesel car owners said they had access to vehicles which did not come under the ban and will use those instead.