The Commission for Air Quality Management issued an order on Wednesday, 30 November. The order stated that the target was only CNG and e-autos ply in the NCR from 1 January 2027. So, by the end of 2026, only CNG and e-autos would be registered in the NCR and diesel autos would be phased out gradually.
The National Capital Region covers Delhi, 14 districts of Haryana, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Rajasthan. Currently, no diesel-run auto is registered in Delhi.
Delhi had launched a programme in 1998 to convert its fleet of diesel auto-rickshaws into CNG ones. The Delhi Transport Department had launched a scheme in October last year for the registration of 4,261 e-autos.
Meanwhile, the onset of winter and deteriorated air quality meant that the national capital was seen covered in a layer of smog. The Lodhi Road and Akshardham area were reported to have visible smoke and fog. On Wednesday, 20 November, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was recorded at 332, which comes under the 'very poor' category this morning as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) records.
The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.
Summary: By the first day of 2027, all autorickshaws in the national capital region will run on compressed natural gas or electricity.
(With agency inputs)
