The Delhi government started strict border checks on November 1 to curb winter pollution. Officials banned non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI standards until January 31, 2027. Police turned back 714 vehicles on the first day. “We are trying to spread awareness about the rules through print media,” a traffic officer said.

To curb air pollution, the Delhi government has imposed several restrictions, including a ban on non-Delhi-registered vehicles below BS-VI emission standards from November 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027, and a directive prohibiting fuel stations from dispensing fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC).

During a spot check by HT at three border points — the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway, Chilla village, and the Kalindi Kunj border — Delhi Traffic Police personnel said they faced a marginal staff shortage due to the INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan. However, they said the situation remained manageable.

“In around five hours, we sent back around six vehicles which were non-Delhi registered and BS-IV. Many were those who only had one vehicle and were headed to places where public transport does not provide last-mile connectivity. We suggested they take the metro as far as possible,” said Pankaj Rana, a Delhi Traffic Police personnel.

He said around nine personnel were deployed at theKalindi Kunj entry point, including two local police officers, three transport department officials, and five traffic police personnel. However, during HT’s nearly 40-minute visit, only two personnel were seen checking vehicles.

A traffic police officer said, “We are trying to spread awareness about the rules through print media, social media other channels. We have set up boards at the borders and distributed pamphlets. On November 1, between 12 am and 8 pm, 7,279 vehicles were stopped and checked. Of these, 10 were fined, 714 were turned back from the borders, and 38 were impounded.”

Unis Saifi, 31, a Delhi resident who works in Noida, approached the officials seeking clarification on whether vehicles owned by his family members would be exempt from the restrictions.

“The bike that I own is BS-IV, and registered in Delhi. I had to go to Noida for some work, but wasn’t sure if I would be allowed. So I took an Uber instead,” said Saifi.

At the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border near Chilla village, police stopped 32-year-old Akshay Uppal for a routine check as his vehicle was registered in Madhya Pradesh.

“My car is BS-VI and has all the requisite permissions and clearances. But because the number is registered in Madhya Pradesh, I was stopped,” said Uppal, who practises law in the Delhi-NCR. “I have clients across Delhi-NCR, so there are multiple trips in and out of Delhi in a week,” he added.

Karan Singh, a traffic police personnel, said he had sent back around 15 vehicles from Chilla border check point between 8am and 2.30pm. “Checks are in place at all the major entry points in the city, but of course there are people who manage to enter using narrow escapes,” said Singh.