Regulations

Everything you need to know about the rules of owning, buying, selling, and driving a car in India.

Delhi Implements GRAP-4 as Pollution Worsens; Entry Restricted for Nearly 1.2 Million Vehicles

Dec 2025

The National Capital Region (NCR) woke up to stringent vehicular restrictions and heightened enforcement measures on Thursday as authorities invoked Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat hazardous pollution levels.

Effective 18 December 2025, the Delhi government has operationalised a comprehensive ban on the entry of older, non-compliant vehicles from neighbouring states, significantly impacting inter-state commuters.

The sequence of regulatory steps reflects heightened concern over persistently high Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in the “severe” category, which have prompted coordinated action by the Delhi government and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to mitigate vehicular contributions to the city’s pollution burden.