Diesel vehicles entering Delhi despite ban, says transport minister

New Delhi: Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand has flagged the continuous entry of diesel vehicles into the national capital despite a ban on their entry under GRAP Stage-IV guidelines during an inspection of the Singhu border.

Restrictions under GRAP Stage IV, including a ban on all construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the national capital, kicked in earlier this month after the city's air quality plummeted to to the 'Severe Plus' (AQI above 450) category.

The Centre's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR categorises actions into four stages: Stage I -- Poor (AQI 201-300), Stage II -- Very Poor (AQI 301-400), Stage III -- Severe (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV -- Severe Plus (AQI above 450).

To ensure strict compliance with the regulations, Anand and a team of officials inspected the Singhu border late on Monday, according to an official statement.

"According to GRAP Stage-IV regulations, the entry of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles into Delhi is prohibited. The inspection revealed continuous entry of diesel vehicles from Haryana into Delhi, which is a matter of concern. The drivers were informed that the entry of diesel vehicles into Delhi is restricted due to the deteriorating air quality," the statement issued on Tuesday said.

Anand noted that diesel vehicles entering Delhi from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are contributing to the increasing pollution in the city.

The Narela subdivisional magistrate was directed to disseminate information through hoardings, banners, camps and handbills to enforce a restriction on the entry of the prohibited vehicles. Large banners with information on all directives and rules should be displayed at the entry point from Haryana to ensure that the drivers are informed in advance so that they can refrain from entering Delhi, the statement said.

"The (Arvind) Kejriwal government is actively working on consistently reducing pollution levels on the ground. Does the concern about this reflect in the ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana? We are diligently doing our work and continuously making every possible effort to provide relief from pollution to the people of Delhi," Anand said in the statement.