Delhi-NCR to see 15-day construction ban from Nov 5; Centre says no rollback of vehicle restrictions

NEW DELHI: The entire national capital region (NCR) will see a complete ban on construction and demolition activities from Nov 5 to 20 as the Centre steps up efforts to tackle rising winter pollution.

Announcing the restriction on Friday, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav also ruled out any rollback of Delhi govt’s order barring non-Delhi BS-IV and below vehicles from entering the city from Nov 1 to Jan 31.

Yadav was visiting CAQM’s newly developed PAVAN Integrated Command and Control Centre in Delhi. The minister said non-conforming industries, polluting sources and traffic congestion hotspots would also face swift action through the new monitoring platform. The announcement comes as Delhi prepares to implement its permanent winter anti-pollution framework from Nov 1.

The framework consolidates several seasonal restrictions into a single set of rules applicable every year from Nov 1 to Feb 28.‘Shift from reacting to pollution to anticipating it’These include restrictions on the entry of non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI standards, mandatory valid pollution-under-control certificates for fuel purchases, 50% work-from-home for office staff and curbs on dust-generating construction activities.

Parking charges at authorised sites will also double during the winter period.