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Delhi’s Proactive Air Quality Management Framework 2026-27

Kumari Sonali

Delhi’s Proactive Air Quality Management Framework 2026-27:

Ahead of the annual winter smog crisis, the Delhi Government, in coordination with the Union Environment Ministry and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), has introduced a permanent Proactive Winter Air Quality Management Framework (Winter Action Plan 2026-27).

  • The new framework shifts pollution control from the reactive approach of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to a more proactive and preventive model, with year-round institutional measures, advanced seasonal action, and airshed-based management that treats Delhi-NCR as a single air-pollution region.
  • These measures will operate alongside GRAP, which will continue to impose graded restrictions based on prevailing AQI levels, particularly during periods of severe pollution.
  • Key Highlights of Delhi’s Winter Action Plan 2026-27:
    • Non-Delhi-registered commercial and private vehicles failing to meet BS-VI emission standards are barred from entering the capital during the winter months (exempting CNG, EVs, and emergency services).
    • Petrol pumps integrated with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systems deny fuel to end-of-life vehicles or those operating without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).
    • Doubled municipal parking fees across authorized public sites (except metros) to discourage private motorized trips and promote mass transit.
    • Government and private offices will ensure not more than 50% physical attendance during the winter pollution period, with remaining employees working remotely.
    • Decentralized reporting times between municipal corporations and government offices to flatten peak-hour traffic volumes and reduce idling emissions.
    • The framework provides phased restrictions on dust-generating construction activities, including a stricter construction and demolition ban during the peak winter pollution period.
    • Scaling deployment of mechanized sweeping machines and water sprinklers with chemical dust suppressants along high-density traffic corridors.
    • An AI-enabled Command and Control Centre will be operational from 1st October 2026, supported by 334 enforcement teams working in shifts to monitor industrial emissions and open-burning violations.
    • The city’s continuous air quality monitoring stations are being expanded from 47 to 60 to map pollution sources more finely.
    • Public Reporting: Citizens can report local pollution violations using the Green Delhi App and submit feedback through a new citizen suggestions portal.