Delhi government push to encourage people to use public transport

Delhi government has announced rolling out of the comprehensive winter action plan from November 1st to combat severe air pollution. Backed by strict vehicle mandates, dust controls and remote work guidelines, the action plan will remain in effect from November 1st to February 28th. Now new vehicle and transport restriction norms will come in place in the national capital region. Fuel stations will deny petrol, diesel, CNG or LPG to vehicles without a valid PUC certificate. Vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS6 emission standards will be barred from entering the capital, along with stringent norms on private vehicles. A 50% work-from-home mandate will be implemented across government and private sectors, supported by boosted metro services, electric buses and last-mile connectivity. Another big contributor to the national capital's pollution is construction activity. Stringent curbs are placed on construction, demolition and material transport. Sites will be tracked in real time via AI-enabled cameras linked directly to the government's command centre. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has ramped up site inspections ahead of winter, issuing show-cause notices to violators. Sweeping operations will extend to roughly 609 kilometres of narrow roads, covering 854 roads across 250 wards. The cabinet has also approved a five-year collaboration with IIT Delhi to dynamically track and analyse micropollutants like PM2.5 and PM10. isolating daily contributors like vehicular exhaust, dust and biomass burning.