Demand for BS-VI and CNG cars increased in Delhi's weddings due to pollution crisis
BS6 Cars: The current crisis of air quality in Delhi has disrupted everyday life, including the wedding and travel industry. Because the city is grappling with severe pollution levels. In such a situation, travel agencies, which rely heavily on diesel vehicles during the wedding season, are now under pressure to find alternatives to clean fuel vehicles.
Delhi's daily life has been disrupted by the current crisis of air quality including the wedding and travel industry. As the city is grappling with severe pollution levels. The implementation of Phase IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Monday has led to a ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles. Which has brought significant changes in transport and logistics.
The Central Pollution Control Board implemented GRAP-IV measures after Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the 450 mark earlier this week, entering the "severe-plus" category. Though the restrictions have their justification in terms of curbing vehicular emissions, they are making life difficult for travel agencies trying to meet their earlier commitments, especially for weddings. BS-VI-compliment Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Toyota Innova, and CNG-powered vehicles have turned out to be the favored choice for transport providers trying to get by with this sudden ban.
Travel agencies, which rely heavily on diesel vehicles during the wedding season, are now under pressure to explore alternatives to cleaner fuel vehicles. According to reports, several agencies have reported increased demand for BS-VI and CNG vehicles, putting financial pressure on their operations.
After a stringent check across the capital, Delhi's transport department has seized over 2,200 overage vehicles since October 1, including 260 diesel vehicles older than 10 years and nearly 2,000 petrol vehicles above the 15-year age limit.
The Delhi Authorities have widened checks on pollution under control (PUC), ensuring enforcement of norm compliance. A record 2.7 lakh challans were issued for PUC violations between January 1 and October 31, 2024-the highest in three years. As part of targeted drives at major junctions such as Ashram Chowk and ITO Chowk, over 47,000 motorists were fined Rs 10,000 each in October for not having valid PUC documents.
Violation of the vehicle ban under GRAP-IV attracts a fine under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, of up to Rs 20,000. The government has also banned inter-state buses and commercial vehicles that are not BS-VI compliant. The government has exempted only those vehicles that carry essential goods.
