Delhi’s air quality remained in the “Severe” category for the fifth consecutive day, with several areas, including RK Puram, ITO, and Punjabi Bagh, reporting AQI levels above 400. Only three locations—Lodhi Road, Burari Crossing, and Sri Aurobindo Marg—had slightly better air quality, categorized as “Very Poor.” The toxic fog blanketing the city continues to pose severe health risks to residents, prompting stringent enforcement of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) III restrictions.
On Friday, Delhi Traffic Police launched a major crackdown on violators, issuing nearly 550 challans and collecting fines totaling over ?5.85 crore. Among these, ?4.8 crore was collected from 4,855 vehicles lacking valid Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC), with each violator fined ?10,000. Additionally, 293 challans were issued for private BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles, which are banned under GRAP-III. Offending vehicles face penalties of ?20,000, while interstate diesel and petrol buses from NCR cities are also prohibited from entering Delhi.
Traffic authorities have intensified inspections, particularly at city borders, to ensure compliance. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Rajiv Kumar Rawal reported that nearly 3,000 vehicles were checked on Friday alone. Violating vehicles were either fined or redirected, with around 300 cars turned back at the borders. The southern, western, and New Delhi ranges issued a combined total of over 200 challans for missing PUCCs. The police emphasized that efforts to monitor and regulate non-compliant vehicles will continue to mitigate the severe pollution crisis.