Delhi's Ban on Polluting Commercial Vehicles Shows Inconsistent Enforcement at Border Checkpoints

An official at one of the checkpoints indicated that the regulation has not yet been implemented.

The Delhi government has instituted a prohibition on commercial goods vehicles that fail to meet minimum BS-IV emission standards from entering the capital, effective Saturday, as part of pollution control measures. However, when NDTV conducted a ground investigation after midnight to evaluate the enforcement of this regulation, we discovered inconsistent implementation across different entry points.

At the Ghazipur Border, one of Delhi's primary entry points, our NDTV team arrived around midnight. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials and Delhi Police personnel were positioned there, and according to them, vehicle inspections had commenced immediately after the ban took effect.

Officials reported that every vehicle entering from Uttar Pradesh was being examined, and non-compliant vehicles were being turned away. The enforcement appeared well-organized and active at this location.

The situation was markedly different at the Mayur Vihar-Noida Border, which our team reached at approximately 1 am. No inspection activities were visible there. Toll booths were operational with MCD staff collecting tolls from all commercial vehicles, including trucks, without any apparent screening or restrictions.

When questioned about collecting tolls from all vehicles, an MCD staff member confirmed they were. Asked about the ban, he appeared confused and stated he had no knowledge of such restrictions, directing us to another colleague.

The second employee, when asked if all vehicles were being permitted entry, responded that the regulation had not yet been implemented and no government directive had been issued.

A third MCD employee similarly stated they were "only collecting tolls" without additional responsibilities, suggesting we consult with a senior MCD official for clarification.

The senior official we subsequently interviewed claimed that BS-III vehicles were prohibited and that inspections were being conducted by Delhi Police approximately 400 metres from that location.

To verify this assertion, we proceeded to the indicated checkpoint around 1:30 am and observed from 50 metres away. We saw police officers gathered together but not inspecting any vehicles, with all commercial vehicles being allowed to pass through unimpeded.

After monitoring this situation briefly, we approached the officers with our camera, at which point they suddenly became active, retrieving their inspection devices and beginning to stop some vehicles.

When we inquired whether the inspections had just begun, one officer claimed they had been conducting checks since 11 pm. When confronted with our observation that no inspections had occurred during our monitoring period, he amended his statement, saying they had "just started a short while ago."