NEW DELHI, November 1, 2026 — Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) stood at 261 in the “poor” category on Sunday as the capital began enforcing its winter pollution-control framework. Vehicle checks at several entry points also led to long queues on the first day of the new restrictions.
The Press Trust of India (PTI), in a report carried by The Patriot on Sunday evening, said the reading was Delhi’s highest in 198 days. The report said 22 of the city’s 57 monitoring stations were in the “very poor” category, 21 were “poor” and 14 were “moderate”. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest station-level reading at 378.
The citywide figure and individual station readings describe different parts of the same picture: pollution levels varied across neighbourhoods, with some locations recording substantially worse air than the overall average. The CPCB scale classifies AQI readings from 201 to 300 as “poor” and 301 to 400 as “very poor”.
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The Delhi government’s permanent winter pollution framework took effect on Sunday. The directions were notified by the Department of Environment under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and are scheduled to apply each winter, with different measures carrying different end dates. The official notification is available through the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
Under the plan, vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards are barred from entering the capital from November 1 to January 31. The framework provides exemptions for specified categories, including electric and CNG vehicles and emergency-service vehicles. The restriction is not a blanket ban on every older vehicle registered within Delhi.
The plan also requires government and private offices to limit physical attendance to 50 per cent during the November 1 to January 31 period, with the remaining staff working remotely. Essential services are exempt. Municipal Corporation of Delhi offices are scheduled to operate from 8.30 am to 5 pm, while Delhi government offices are to work from 10 am to 6.30 pm.
Dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activity are restricted from November 1 to January 31, subject to the notified exemptions. A broader construction and demolition ban is scheduled for December 10 to January 20, with specified essential public-infrastructure work treated separately. Parking charges at authorised facilities are also set to double from November 1 to February 28; Delhi Metro parking facilities are excluded.
The framework separately provides for a “no PUC, no fuel” requirement, under which vehicles must have a valid Pollution Under Control certificate to obtain fuel. That requirement is distinct from the seasonal entry restriction on non-BS-VI vehicles registered outside Delhi. The Indian Express has summarised the main provisions of the 2026-27 winter action plan.
PTI reported heavy congestion at several entry points, particularly along the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida borders, as enforcement teams checked vehicles entering the city. Queues were also reported near Municipal Corporation of Delhi toll booths and other entry points in the National Capital Region.
The report said the Delhi Transport Department had deployed about 250 enforcement personnel at major entry points, toll plazas and identified pollution hotspots. Thirty-nine teams were stationed across 13 major toll plazas, including DND, Rajokri on National Highway 48, Ghazipur, Singhu, Tikri and Badarpur. Automatic number-plate recognition cameras are being used to identify vehicles that may breach the entry rules. Officials can issue electronic challans or impound vehicles in accordance with the applicable provisions.
The queues show the operational pressure created by enforcing vehicle restrictions at busy city boundaries. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the wider pollution-control plan will succeed or fail. That assessment will require sustained monitoring of air quality, compliance and traffic patterns over the coming weeks.
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The winter framework should not be confused with the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the separate regional system overseen by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). GRAP sets out additional steps linked to air-quality levels and forecasts; its Stage I band covers AQI readings from 201 to 300. The seasonal directions establish recurring measures with calendar-based dates, while CAQM can issue or revise regional actions as conditions change.
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For residents, the next indicators are the daily citywide AQI, readings at individual monitoring stations, the enforcement of vehicle and construction rules, and whether office attendance measures reduce peak-hour traffic. Weather conditions and pollution sources across the wider NCR will also influence how quickly air quality changes.
The first day of restrictions has therefore produced a mixed operational picture: a poor citywide AQI, much worse readings at some stations, and congestion at several borders as checks began. The effect of the measures should be judged against air-quality and compliance data over time, rather than the first day’s traffic conditions alone.