Delhi-NCR expands vehicle and construction bans under new GRAP rules

On September 29, 2026, the Commission for Air Quality Management released an amended GRAP schedule for Delhi-NCR, dividing measures into four cumulative stages. Stage III now restricts BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Noida. Stage I brings inter-city and inter-state buses from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other adjoining states under a requirement to run only on electric, CNG or BS-VI diesel fuel.

The agency also broadened its construction-demolition directives to include urban, industrial and highway corridor zones throughout the NCR states. Additionally, the earlier exemption for BS-IV and lower goods vehicles transporting essential commodities in Stages III and IV has been withdrawn. The framework allows pre-emptive action if air-quality forecasts predict an AQI breach, and permits immediate measures during unexpected pollution spikes. Private cars face no blanket ban, but penalties for non-compliance with PUC norms and higher parking fees are introduced in earlier stages.