Delhi tightens pollution rules ahead of winter, BS-IV and older goods vehicles face fresh curbs: All you need to know

With winter approaching, Delhiites are preparing for pollution and dangerous AQI levels that plague the Indian national capital every year. In an attempt to keep the AQI levels in check, older goods vehicles carrying essential commodities will no longer be exempt from Delhi-NCR's pollution curbs once the two strictest stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) are imposed. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has removed the exemption for BS-IV and below vehicles under GRAP Stages III and IV as part of a revised schedule approved by the CAQM Full Commission on Monday.

The change means light and medium goods vehicles (LGVs and MGVs) will face restrictions under Stage III, while trucks and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will be covered by the stricter Stage IV measures.

Older goods vehicles face tighter entry rules

Notably, the restrictions are not entirely new. CAQM had already imposed similar measures through separate orders alongside the GRAP framework last year. The latest revision formally brings those provisions into the pollution-control plan.

One of the earlier orders tightened restrictions on commercial goods vehicles entering Delhi throughout the year. From November 1, 2025, goods vehicles registered outside Delhi were barred from entering the capital unless they were BS-VI, CNG, LNG or electric.

BS-III and older vehicles were prohibited irrespective of the goods they carried. BS-IV vehicles, meanwhile, were given a one-year transitional period, which ends on October 31, 2026.

Under the revised GRAP schedule, the entry restriction on diesel BS-IV and below LGVs and MGVs registered outside Delhi is now explicitly included under Stage III.

48 measures across four GRAP stages

CAQM member-technical Dr SD Attri said the revised GRAP schedule contains 48 actions across its four stages. Of these, 25 measures fall under Stage I, eight under Stage II, 10 under Stage III and five under Stage IV. Some restrictions will also now kick in at an earlier stage of pollution.

Measures concerning diesel generator sets and the entry of BS-IV and below buses from NCR and adjoining states have been shifted from Stage II to Stage I. Authorities have also been directed to ensure that diesel generator sets are not used as a regular source of power.

Bus restrictions expanded across NCR

Under the revised instructions, governments in Delhi and NCR will have to ensure that inter-city and inter-state buses from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as adjoining states including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, do not ply in Delhi-NCR unless they meet the permitted standards.

Only BS-VI diesel, CNG and electric buses will be allowed to operate in the region.

The revised schedule also extends the Stage III restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers to Sonipat.

The restrictions already apply in the high vehicle-density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

GRAP schedule streamlined

The revised framework also brings together repeated Stage I measures relating to dust control, municipal solid waste management and transport. A minor relaxation has been allowed under the first Stage III action, including provisions related to pothole repairs.

The Citizens Charter for each GRAP stage has also been revised, with additional dos and don'ts for residents and authorities.

With the winter pollution season approaching, the changes effectively bring several restrictions that had previously been imposed through separate orders into the main GRAP framework, while moving some measures to earlier stages of deteriorating air quality.

Older goods vehicles face tighter entry rules

One of the earlier orders tightened restrictions on commercial goods vehicles entering Delhi throughout the year. From November 1, 2025, goods vehicles registered outside Delhi were barred from entering the capital unless they were BS-VI, CNG, LNG or electric.

BS-III and older vehicles were prohibited irrespective of the goods they carried. BS-IV vehicles, meanwhile, were given a one-year transitional period, which ends on October 31, 2026.

Under the revised GRAP schedule, the entry restriction on diesel BS-IV and below LGVs and MGVs registered outside Delhi is now explicitly included under Stage III.

48 measures across four GRAP stages

CAQM member-technical Dr SD Attri said the revised GRAP schedule contains 48 actions across its four stages. Of these, 25 measures fall under Stage I, eight under Stage II, 10 under Stage III and five under Stage IV. Some restrictions will also now kick in at an earlier stage of pollution.

Measures concerning diesel generator sets and the entry of BS-IV and below buses from NCR and adjoining states have been shifted from Stage II to Stage I. Authorities have also been directed to ensure that diesel generator sets are not used as a regular source of power.

Bus restrictions expanded across NCR

Under the revised instructions, governments in Delhi and NCR will have to ensure that inter-city and inter-state buses from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as adjoining states including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, do not ply in Delhi-NCR unless they meet the permitted standards.

Only BS-VI diesel, CNG and electric buses will be allowed to operate in the region.

The revised schedule also extends the Stage III restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers to Sonipat.

The restrictions already apply in the high vehicle-density districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

GRAP schedule streamlined

The revised framework also brings together repeated Stage I measures relating to dust control, municipal solid waste management and transport. A minor relaxation has been allowed under the first Stage III action, including provisions related to pothole repairs.

The Citizens Charter for each GRAP stage has also been revised, with additional dos and don'ts for residents and authorities.

With the winter pollution season approaching, the changes effectively bring several restrictions that had previously been imposed through separate orders into the main GRAP framework, while moving some measures to earlier stages of deteriorating air quality.