[revvharder]

Measures to be implemented under GRAP IV.

Stop entry of truck traffic in Delhi except essential commodity, CNG and electric trucks.

Ban on plying of Delhi registered diesel operated Medium Goods Vehicles and Heavy Goods Vehicles in Delhi except those carrying essential commodities providing essential services.

Ban on plying of 4 wheeler-diesel LMVs in NCT of Delhi and Districts of NCR bordering Delhi, except BS-VI vehicles.

Closed down all industries in NCR even in areas which do not have PNG infrastructure and supply but still running for fuels other than the fuels as per the Standard list of approved fuels for NCR.

Industries like milky and dairy units and those involved in manufacturing of life saving medical equipment’s, drugs, and medicines shall however be exempted from the above restrictions.

State Government may consider additional emergency measures like closures of school, colleges, educational institutions, closure of non-emergency commercial activities and plying of vehicles on odd-even basis.

Source:https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/as-a...-roads-3487552

I guess soon NGT will come to the rescue of Delhiites and ban the BSIV diesel vehicles so that the people can breathe clean air.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by revvharder

I guess soon NGT will come to the rescue of Delhiites and ban the BSIV diesel vehicles so that the people can breathe clean air.

In their infinite wisdom they may even ban BS6 diesels from the road or levy a green cess.

Meanwhile.

[batish]

Originally Posted by revvharder

Ban on plying of 4 wheeler-diesel LMVs in NCT of Delhi and Districts of NCR bordering Delhi, except BS-VI vehicles.

How on earth are they going to implement this?

I had said this earlier too, saying again - No impact assessment or outcome report for earlier ban and now this. These buffoons won't find the solution to stubble burning rather choose to harass the easy targets. No matter what they ban they won't get any positive outcomes till they find a solution to stubble. I don't support any party but spending 34 times on advertising alone won't get any results.

Before elections government was eager in using Bio-decomposer while being fully aware it doesn't work as intended. But now, all they have is blame this and that. IIRC, one kisan organisation too were asking them months back to find a solution to this before winter season comes, but they did nothing except advertising.

Also, does it include the government vehicles as well? If yes, then I hope these ministers start travelling in metro and e-rickshaws to experience 100% pure air.

Pathetic is the word for these buffoons sitting on chairs doing the exact opposite of what they came to power for.

Originally Posted by DicKy

levy a green cess.

They already do.

Originally Posted by Chevyspark

Instead of banning only bs4 diesel they should stop diesel sale to all cars irrespective of new, old or new technology such as bs6. People use this dirty fuel for fuel economy and leisure purpose which is not right morally.

Do you know the pollution parameters of petrol and diesel BS-6? Morally wrong? In 100s of wrong things being implemented and followed you found this on top?

[Chevyspark]

Originally Posted by revvharder

I guess soon NGT will come to the rescue of Delhiites and ban the BSIV diesel vehicles so that the people can breathe clean air.

Instead of banning only bs4 diesel they should stop diesel sale to all cars irrespective of new, old or new technology such as bs6. People use this dirty fuel for fuel economy and leisure purpose which is not right morally.

[whitewing]

Meanwhile
https://indianexpress.com/article/ci...icism-8138195/

As the Union government extended by two years the deadline for power plants across the country to meet sulphur dioxide emission norms, those within a 10-km radius of the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) have got time till December 31, 2024 to meet the norms. The earlier deadline for power plants in the region was December 31, 2022.
There are 11 power plants within a 300-km radius of the Delhi-NCR and the deadlines for these now range from December 2024 to December 2026, depending on their location.

[anjan_c2007]

SCRAP, GRAP and with many more, they are trying to beat pollution and provide Amazon Forest like pristine air in Delhi.

But nothing is working, nor will these work. The Amazon forest like atmosphere dreamt by politicos and bureaucrats must be several times mentioned in the conclusion chapters of SCRAP
, GRAP etc during their proposal stages, that "intelligent" committees could have formulated. The rosy texts makes these proposals become policies.

This Economic Times report in today's paper says there's a 33.5% rise in Punjab farm fires as of now, that has turned Delhi into a GAS CHAMBER.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/pol...w/95262530.cms

The SCRAP (scrapping of cars) and GRAP ain't going to help in anyway come what may, until these farm fires or FARF are brought under control. Hence FARF control first and only then SCRAP (?) and GRAP could be dreamt of.

[ajayc123]

Things are very bad. Stopped my outdoor walks a few days back. You can smell smoke, the moment you step out. The AQI is crossing 500 everyday.

We all know the cause (stubble burning), but GRAP is silent about it. The primary causes are being conveniently ignored, and lip service has started. Very saddening. Rinse, repeat every year.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Very sad to see this. Everyone keeps shifting the blame away from stubble burning, but ultimately, this horrendous pall of deadly smog that descends upon Delhi every winter cannot be resolved without ending it. The phrase "beating around the bush" would be perfect to describe this. Cars are a soft target for such moves. While nobody's saying they don't contribute to the pollution, it's simply nothing in comparison to the stubble burning. Due to winds being nearly nonexistent at this time, the smoke just hangs in the air, turning India's capital into a gas chamber, as perfectly described above.

The last time I visited in winter (February 2020), I could feel the smoke in the air even in Buddha Jayanti Garden! That's an incredible feat and definitely not in a good way. It's a pressing and deadly problem with a solution in reach. However, we can only stare in despair as it's completely ignored.

[fhdowntheline]

Basics of firefighting says one must target the source of the fire first. They are doing everything but that. But this also begs a question. NCT is not the only region with farmlands around it. How come other cities in the country are not affected? Is it the difference of local climatic conditions? Farmers burn stubble everywhere. I saw it recently in Wai, MH.

[batish]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

How come other cities in the country are not affected? Is it the difference of local climatic conditions? Farmers burn stubble everywhere. I saw it recently in Wai, MH.

1. Dense and huge population - Delhi alone has around 3 crore population and this is without considering the nearby areas like Noida, Faridabad, Gurgaon etc. with its area just being 1,483 km square. Maharashtra on the other hand has an area of 307,713 km km square. Delhi is not even 0.5% sizewise. Apart from stubble, due to its sheer population it has its own pollution too.
   
   
2. No carbon sink near or in Delhi like MH has Arabian Sea on one side. Delhi is landlocked.
   
   
3. Movement of air from Punjab to Delhi where the local winds drop the speed in Delhi and that is why the pollution stays much much longer than in Punjab, Haryana.
   
   
4. Depleting Aravalli Range due to illegal and incessant mining which no politician/bureaucrat pays heed to.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by Chevyspark

Instead of banning only bs4 diesel they should stop diesel sale to all cars irrespective of new, old or new technology such as bs6. People use this dirty fuel for fuel economy and leisure purpose which is not right morally.

I assume that you're driving a petrol car. But that doesn't give you any right to call diesel a dirty fuel and ask for its ban. Diesel is moving the nation. Have you even checked the pollution levels a BS6 diesel makes? Forget BS6, just a BS3 or 4 even? New and well maintained diesel cars, built according to latest standards have similar emissions to new petrol vehicles.

Do you think Diesel is the root cause of the pollution mess that Delhi is experiencing?

Euro 6 emissions standards (petrol)
CO: 1.0g/km
THC: 0.10g/km
NMHC: 0.068g/km
NOx: 0.06g/km
PM: 0.005g/km (direct injection only)
PN [#/km]: 6.0x10 ^11/km (direct injection only)

Euro 6 emissions standards (diesel)
CO: 0.50g/km
HC + NOx: 0.17g/km
NOx: 0.08g/km
PM: 0.005g/km
PN [#/km]: 6.0x10 ^11/km

Reference: https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/e...ons-standards/

I think I get your logic - diesel is giving more fuel efficiency and thus people are using it for 'leisure' purposes only. Yes, that calls for its nationwide ban.

[am1m]

Personally, I'm anti-big car and pro-public transport. But even I have to say that ignoring the stubble burning issue and going after private transport is crazy. The Delhi government and Central government should be doing all they can to incentivize farmers to stop burning stubble. Mechanization, stubble clearance, subsidies- whatever the cost, surely it's less than the cost of such bad air in the nation's capital and surrounding areas? Considering the most powerful politicians in the country and their families live and breathe the same air, you'd think they would want to solve this problem. (Even if they do stay indoors with air purifiers and in air-conditioned transport, they are going to get exposed to the polluted air at least some of the time.)

Originally Posted by ajayc123

Things are very bad. Stopped my outdoor walks a few days back. You can smell smoke, the moment you step out.

That's insane! I would have left the city a long time ago. No job, hometown, or lifestyle is worth dying slowly every year.

[harry10]

I leave my home at 9 in the morning for my office in Delhi. Since couple of days there is lot of smog at that time. You can even feel the pollution when you breathe standing outside on a street. I got a sore throat. With my home in Faridabad and my workplace in Delhi we are stuck living in this gas chamber called NCR. And no one in power is doing anything to make it better. Sad state of affairs.

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by am1m

... The Delhi government and Central government should be doing all they can to incentivize farmers to stop burning stubble. Mechanization, stubble clearance, subsidies- whatever the cost, surely it's less than the cost of such bad air in the nation's capital and surrounding areas? ...

The total area under cultivation in Punjab + Haryana is around 20 million acre.
The farmers want ~Rs.2500 per acre to STOP burning the stubble.

That's a total cost of Rs.50 BILLION just for Punjab and Haryana.
What's stopping farmers in other parts of the country to follow the same? Cobra effect.

Blackmail much?

[thanixravindran]

One simple question - Why cannot NGT ban the farm fires? After all they are known for passing strong orders though illogical. We all know governments won't do it due to vote bank politics. But what is preventing constitutional bodies like SC/NGT to clamp down on farm fires.

I hope NCR gets into WFH to minimize people travelling to office to alleviate the pain of this car bans. Recently my wife's colleague moved from Delhi to Chennai on transfer and remarked that air is a lot clean and loves it. We didn't understand the magnitude of her remarks. But I get it now.