Pollution certificate to be mandatory in Delhi for purchase of petrol, diesel, announces Gopal Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has announced that those not carrying pollution certificates for their vehicles would be denied petrol and diesel. He said the rule will come into force from October 25.

The minister said the Delhi government will launch a 24-hour war room on October 3 to combat air pollution and ensure effective implementation of the amended Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for air pollution in Delhi.

Rai said the notification regarding this will be issued soon.

"Vehicular emission is one of the key contributors to rising pollution in Delhi. It is imperative to reduce it so it has been decided that from October 25 petrol, diesel will not be provided at petrol pumps without the PUC certificate of the vehicle," Rai said at a press conference, according to PTI.

He also announced that the Delhi government will launch an anti-dust campaign from October 6.

The GRAP empowers the government to impose restrictions should the air quality index deteriorates further. 

GRAP measures are usually recommended when Delhi's AQI gets worse than the poor category. On Friday, Delhi's AQI was a moderate 173. 

Per the Air Quality Early Warning System forecast, AQI is expected to remain within moderate limits till October 3 and then satisfactory for the next two days. 

Light rains between October 4 and 7 are expected to improve the city's air quality.