Only electric three-wheelers to be registered from January 2027: CAQM
Pollution watchdog directs to allow only electric three-wheelers to be registered in phased manner
It is also for the first time that paddy stubble burning will be officially monitored on ground. (File Photo) From mandating electric three-wheelers to restricting fuel for polluting vehicles, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday issued a set of directions aimed at tackling key sources of air pollution across the NCR.
At its 28th full Commission meeting, the panel decided to allow only electric three-wheelers (L5 category) — both passenger and goods — to be registered in a phased manner. The rollout will begin in Delhi from January 1, 2027, extend to high vehicle-density districts including Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar from January 1, 2028, and cover the remaining NCR districts from January 1, 2029. This also means that existing CNG or diesel three-wheelers would still be allowed to operate until they are gradually phased out.
The Commission also directed to restrict the sale of fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) across the NCR from October 1 this year, tightening enforcement against polluting vehicles.
Flagging a spike in crop residue burning, the Commission noted that Punjab recorded 8,986 stubble burning incidents between April 1 and May 14 this year, and directed state authorities to step up enforcement measures to curb such cases.
It is also for the first time that paddy stubble burning will be officially monitored on ground. To implement this, the Commission also directed for the implementation of the Action Plan for prevention and control of paddy stubble burning in 2026 with a target of complete elimination of paddy stubble burning in the NCR states. According to a statement by the Commission, state governments have prepared and updated state-specific action plans for this year’s paddy harvest season in line with the broad framework provided by the CAQM.
The Commission also reviewed the expansion of the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) network, noting that 46 additional stations are proposed across the NCR, taking the total to 157. Under revised norms, monitoring density will be one station per 25 sq km in Delhi and contiguous cities, and one per 50 sq km in other districts, with directions issued for faster installation. It ratified the reconstitution of a sub-committee on monitoring and compliance, and noted that a digital MIS portal is being developed to track implementation of Annual Action Plans across sectors.
Why the transition
The Commission noted that a recent report by an air quality expert panel identified the vehicular sector as one of the major contributors to PM2.5 emissions in Delhi-NCR. The expert panel has recommended a transition of three-wheelers to EV, besides pushing for “accelerated transition towards cleaner mobility”. This is also in line with the draft EV policy rolled out by the Delhi government.
The Commission noted that controlling vehicular pollution is critical to control PM2.5, NOx and CO levels.
The expert panel, in its report, had highlighted that transport consistently ranks as the most significant source of pollution in Delhi, encompassing both on-road and off-road vehicles powered by petrol, diesel, and CNG.
The impact of tailpipe emissions, a major urban pollutant, depends on several factors: vehicle type, age, mileage, fuel type, maintenance, and adherence to fuel standards. Vehicles following modern emission standards, such as BS-VI, demonstrate significantly lower pollutant output than those under older regimes like BS-IV, BS-III, or earlier standards. Older vehicles often show higher emission intensity as engines deteriorate and control systems fail over time. The type of pollutants varies from fuel to fuel: diesel engines primarily release particulate matter along with nitrogen and sulphur oxides, while CNG engines mostly emit nitrogen oxides with reduced particulate levels, it said.
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