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Delhi AQI turns 'very poor' at 312 as winter curbs begin: 1,539 vehicles turned back, Rs 68.4 lakh fined
Delhi's AQI reached 312 at 9 am on 2 November, the first 'very poor' reading this season, a day after the Winter Action Plan began. On day one, 1,539 of 14,930 vehicles checked at the borders were turned back, penalties came to Rs 68.4 lakh and 32 of 300 sites broke dust norms.
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Delhi's air quality index reached 312 at 9 am on Monday, 2 November, the first reading in the 'very poor' category this season, a day after the city's winter pollution curbs began. The 312 figure is a morning reading, not the day's average, which the Central Pollution Control Board publishes at 4 pm. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 16.4 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal, and none of the five weather stations recorded rain in the previous 24 hours.
What 'very poor' means
The board's categories run from 0 to 50 for good, 51 to 100 satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor and 401 to 500 severe. Under the Graded Response Action Plan, Stage 2 applies when the index is in the 301 to 400 range, and the Commission for Air Quality Management's sub-committee decides when to invoke it. The reports did not say whether it had done so on Monday.
Day one of the curbs
The Winter Action Plan covers vehicle checks at the borders, pollution-certificate compliance and construction dust control, with checks carried out by the Delhi Traffic Police and the Transport Department. According to figures compiled until 5 pm on Sunday, 14,930 vehicles were checked and 1,539, about 10.3%, were turned back. They included 140 light motor vehicles, 54 light commercial vehicles, 95 heavy and medium goods vehicles, 34 buses and 789 of 1,423 two-wheelers, three-wheelers and other vehicles. CNG, electric and essential-service vehicles are exempt, and 740 were verified and allowed in.
Total penalties and environmental compensation came to Rs 68.4 lakh: Rs 56.6 lakh for pollution-certificate violations, Rs 2 lakh for breaching border-entry restrictions and Rs 9.8 lakh for construction and demolition violations. Border teams issued 127 challans and impounded 62 vehicles, and 566 challans were issued for missing certificates, 493 by the traffic police and 73 by the Transport Department. Of 300 construction sites inspected, 32 broke dust norms, with 17 closure directions and 19 show-cause notices issued.
Vehicles registered outside Delhi and older than BS VI cannot enter the city until 31 January. Parking fees at authorised lots are doubled until 28 February, and government and private offices must limit physical attendance to 50% from 1 November to 31 January, with emergency services exempt. A separate ban on non-Delhi commercial goods vehicles of BS III and below took effect on 1 November.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa urged people to keep their pollution certificates valid, follow the entry rules and comply with dust norms.
Air quality in parts of Haryana was also reported to be very poor on Monday, with an AQI of 303 in Ambala and four other districts, and readings above 300 in Kaithal and Gurugram.
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