GURGAON/NOIDA: The Delhi government’s decision to block the entry of all non-BS VI vehicles from Thursday has sparked widespread concern across the National Capital Region, with lakhs of commuters facing sudden disruption. More than 2 lakh vehicles in Gurgaon, over 4 lakh in Noida and around 5.5 lakh in Ghaziabad are expected to be taken off the roads overnight, intensifying anxiety among residents who rely on daily cross-border travel for work and family needs.
Official data shows Gurgaon alone has nearly 2 lakh privately owned vehicles that do not meet BS-VI norms, including about 1.5 lakh BS-III petrol cars and over 36,000 BS-IV diesel vehicles. The city also has more than 47,000 commercial BS-IV diesel vehicles, over 2,000 BS-III petrol vehicles, and roughly 2,200 BS-III and BS-IV buses. In addition, around 92,000 diesel vehicles in the city have already exceeded the 10-year age limit.
Noida faces a similar impact, with the ban affecting more than 4 lakh vehicles. Of its nearly 10 lakh registered vehicles, about 1.4 lakh are BS-III models—96,210 petrol and 41,067 diesel—while nearly 2.8 lakh are BS-IV vehicles, most of them petrol-run. Only around 4.2 lakh vehicles in Noida are BS-VI compliant and permitted to enter Delhi. In Ghaziabad, although over 5.5 lakh vehicles meet BS-VI norms, an equal number—including 1.7 lakh BS-III and 3.7 lakh BS-IV vehicles—will be barred.
Residents say the move is abrupt and impractical. Manoj Kumar of Gurgaon’s Sector 50 called the order “absurd”, pointing out that Delhi and its satellite cities operate as a single urban unit. “Lakhs of people from Gurgaon and Faridabad travel to Delhi daily. This will seriously disrupt the free movement of people,” he said.
Subhangi Sharma of Sector 40 criticised what she termed “quick-fix solutions”, arguing that restricting vehicles has become the government’s default response to pollution rather than addressing deeper causes.
Explaining the enforcement, Noida assistant regional transport officer Nand Kumar said the measure aligns with GRAP-III norms, which mandate restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles. “Delhi has gone a step further by banning all vehicles below BS-VI. Traffic police teams are stationed at Noida-Delhi borders. Non-compliant vehicles will be turned back, fined and seized,” he said.
Greater Noida resident Alok Singh highlighted the lack of viable alternatives. “Rules are enforced randomly, but what options do people have? Nearly half the population doesn’t own BS-VI vehicles. This will also overload metro services, which are already stretched,” he said, questioning whether such bans alone can significantly improve air quality.
Echoing the frustration, Rahul Saha from Noida’s 7X sectors accused the government of singling out older vehicles. “People are being pressured to buy BS-VI cars. A blanket ban on private vehicles is unnecessary and unfair,” he said.
