In 4 days, 9,200 challans issued for breaching pollution norms in Delhi

Between November 3 and 6, over 4,700 challans issued for vehicles not having valid PUC certificate

Under the Graded Response Action Plan, emergency measures in have been implemented in Delhi-NCR to control pollution. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

More than 9,200 challans were issued from November 3 to 6 against petrol and diesel vehicles for violating pollution control norms imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Delhi Traffic Police said on Tuesday.

Last Sunday, the Centre for Air Quality Monitoring (CAQM) announced stage 4 of the GRAP after the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading surpassed the 450 mark and fell into the ‘severe plus’ category.

In a release on Tuesday, the traffic police said 4,785 challans were issued for vehicles found without valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates. An additional 814 challans were issued against petrol vehicles compliant only with Bharat Stage-III (BS-III) emission norms and 3,656 against diesel vehicles compliant only with BS-IV emission norms.

Paharganj, Kotwali, and Nangloi were among the 10 hotspots where challans were issued for vehicles without PUC certificates, the statement said.

The traffic police also impounded petrol and diesel vehicles that are over 10 and 15 years old, respectively, in these four days, it added.

The GRAP mandates emergency measures in Delhi-NCR during winter and has four levels depending on the severity of pollution: Stage 1 for a ‘poor’ AQI reading between 201-300; Stage 2 for ‘very poor’ AQI, 301-400; Stage 3 for ‘severe’ AQI, 401-450; and Stage 4 for ‘severe plus’ AQI, over 450. These measures include a ban on the entry of BS-III diesel and BS-IV petrol vehicles in the city, regulating traffic movement around pollution hotspots, and deploying traffic personnel at major intersections.