Residents of north Indian States around the national capital will not be permitted to use diesel generator sets as a regular source of power supply, and only inter-State buses using clean fuel will be allowed to enter Delhi, according to a series of measures announced on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) as part of an action plan to reduce pollution in the city.

With the air quality in the capital worsening to the ‘poor’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas (CAQM) on Wednesday (October 21) announced the implementation of Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of short-term emergency measures taken to reduce air pollution. It is divided into four stages depending on the level of air pollution that exists at a particular time or is predicted for the near future.

Delhi’s 24-hour overall average air quality index (AQI) was at 245 (poor) at 4 p.m. on Wednesday (October 21), up from 179 (moderate) a day earlier, as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily official bulletin, which is considered the day’s official AQI. The last time the AQI was in the ‘poor’ category was on July 13, when it stood at 246.

Under GRAP 1, the CAQM has directed States to ensure that diesel generator sets are not used as a regular source of power supply.

“Do not permit inter-city/ inter-state buses from any city/ town of the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and also from the adjoining states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and J&K, other than EV / CNG / BS-VI Diesel, to ply in Delhi- NCR,” reads one of the measures under Stage 1 of the GRAP.

Most of the other measures under Stage 1 are directing authorities to strictly implement existing norms related to air pollution.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that, with public participation and coordinated efforts by various departments, Delhi has recorded 214 clean-air days so far this year, the highest over the past decade, excluding the COVID-19 period.

Mr. Sirsa said that around 30 agencies are working under an 11-point pollution control plan in line with the guidelines of NITI Aayog and the CAQM. The government is also focusing on traffic management, dust control, monitoring industrial emissions, and increasing green cover.

The Environment Minister said that the government is also taking steps to reduce traffic congestion. Round-the-clock monitoring is being carried out through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (I-CCC) to strengthen pollution control and ensure effective resolution of citizens’ complaints, he said.

Mr. Sirsa added that extensive efforts are being made to increase Delhi’s green cover. Against the target of 70 lakh saplings, a total of 78 lakh saplings have been planted this year. The Forest Department has carried out geo-tagging of the plantations, and the survival rate of saplings has been recorded at between 96% and 97%, he added.

Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi-NCR and many parts of the larger Indo-Gangetic Plains, mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speed and a drop in temperature, exacerbated by pollution from stubble burning in October and November and the festive use of firecrackers.