Delhi unveils 10-point winter pollution plan: WFH, vehicle & fuel curbs
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Stricter curbs on older and polluting vehicles, a ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ policy, 50% work from home for employees, and restrictions on construction activities: The Delhi government on Tuesday announced its 10-point winter action plan for 2026-27 to tackle air pollution from November 1 to February 28.
Announcing the measures, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the plan would be implemented through coordination between the Centre, Delhi government, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), local bodies, Delhi Police, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and other agencies. She said public participation would be central to the campaign.
Fuel policy: Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) and those that have exceeded their prescribed lifespan will not be allowed to refuel at 500 petrol pumps equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems from November 1.
Construction ban: The plan proposes a complete ban on dust-generating demolition activities and outdoor civil construction work from November 1 to January 31. A broader ban on all types of construction and demolition activities will be imposed from December 10 to January 20. Construction sites will also be required to have 100% CCTV coverage, while registration on the ‘Malba App’ will be mandatory for building-plan approvals.
WFH policy: To reduce vehicular emissions and traffic congestion, 50% of employees in government and private offices will be required to work from home, or work from home for two days a week, from November 1.
The government has also revised office timings, with municipal corporation offices scheduled to function from 8.30 am to 5 pm and Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6.30 pm.
Parking fee doubled: Parking charges at authorised parking facilities will be doubled, excluding Metro parking facilities, to discourage the use of private vehicles. The government has also set a target of increasing daily ridership on the Delhi Metro to 72 lakh and on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses to 42 lakh. Delhi currently has 6,840 buses, including 5,088 electric buses.
A campaign to encourage people to download the Delhi Metro Sarathi App will be conducted from October 1 to 10 to improve last-mile connectivity.
The plan also proposes deploying AI-enabled monitoring systems to strengthen enforcement. The government has also set a target of redeveloping 3,000 km of roads to control dust pollution. Work on 1,193 km has been completed, while concrete roadwork has been scheduled to be completed by October 31 and bitumen work by November 15. Measures such as mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, deep cleaning, improving footpaths, paving road surfaces and clearing garbage accumulation points are also being expedited.
Weekly inspections will be conducted at all 37 identified air-quality and traffic hotspots by public representatives, including MPs, MLAs and councillors, along with nodal officers. The government is also working to make 15 major road stretches signal-free and congestion-free by October, of which eight have been completed.
For dust control, 98 mechanical road-sweeping machines have been deployed in two shifts, with deep cleaning of all major roads scheduled to be completed by October 31. The government has also directed agencies to undertake a ‘Zero Burning’ campaign to prevent the open burning of waste and biomass and set up heating booths for security guards during winter.
On industrial pollution, the government said 2,283 polluting units had been sealed or shut down following a survey of 11,271 units. Industries violating pollution-control norms, including those operating in non-conforming areas, will face strict action. Financial incentives under the Parivartan Yojana and the EV Policy 2026 will also be provided to encourage the scrapping of old vehicles and adoption of electric vehicles.
A total of 334 enforcement teams have been working in two shifts round the clock, including 256 teams from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board, and 78 teams from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, the government said.
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