Delhi Pollution: 2.6 lakh vehicles fined for violating norms, Rs 2600000000 collected in just..

Authorities have fined over 2.6 lakh vehicles that do not possess valid Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) in just 50 days as part of a concerted effort to control air pollution in Delhi, collecting fines worth over ₹260 crore. The enforcement drive, which was carried out between October 16 and December 6 under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), saw the Delhi Environment Department issuing a total of 2,60,258 challans.

Distribution of Violations by GRAP Stages:
Stage 1 (October 16-22): 12,756 challans
Stage 2 (October 22-November 14): 1,11,235 challans
Stage 3 (November 15-17): 13,938 challans
Stage 4 (November 18-December 5): 1,14,089 challans
Since December 5, when restrictions eased to Stage 2, an additional 8,240 challans have been issued. A motorist found without a valid PUCC is fined ₹10,000.

The crackdown intensified after Delhi’s air quality reached hazardous levels. On November 17, the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 450, entering the “severe plus” category for the first time in 2023. This prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce Stage 4 of GRAP, the strictest level of anti-pollution measures.

Measures Under Stage 4:
A total ban on all non-essential trucks entering Delhi, except those carrying essential goods or using clean fuel like LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electricity.
Prohibition of all non-essential light commercial vehicles from outside Delhi unless powered by CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electricity.
The next day, November 18, the AQI had increased to 494, the second highest in six years, and reinforced the need for these measures.
About GRAP:
Introduced in 2017, GRAP is a dynamic framework that acts to cause specific anti-pollution measures in relation to the severity of air quality in Delhi and other neighboring regions. The plan works towards mitigating the health and environmental impacts of toxic air through the scaling of actions with AQI levels.