Can You Drive Your BS3/BS4/BS6 Car In Delhi NCR Under GRAP-3/GRAP-4? Detailed Analysis Of Official Order | V3Cars

Update (Dec 17, 2024): The CAQM has brought GRAP-3 and 4 back in effect. Kindly refer to this article for detailed restrictions under GRAP-3 and GRAP-4. To understand the restrictions under GRAP-1 and GRAP-2, refer the following article posted Dec 6, 2024:

GRAP-3, 4 No Longer Applicable In Delhi NCR As Air Quality Improves

Let’s understand in detail what these enforcement measures specify in the orders starting with GRAP-3.

GRAP-3 (Issued: November 14, 2024; Enforced November 15, 2024)

You can check the GRAP-3 order at the following link:

1d8893ee-1700-45cb-a8f7-47eaaed25b81.pdf (caqm.nic.in)

When the AQI in Delhi goes in the range of 401 and 450, the CAQM categorises it as Severe. Under this situation, GRAP-3 is put in action. There are a lot of actions are set in motion once GRAP-3 comes into effect, but for the vehicle owners/driving and travelling, the following rules are enforced under GRAP-3:

1. Movement of vehicles carrying construction material on unpaved roads
2. Any transportation of demolition waste
3. Vehicles carrying or loading/unloading dust-generating material such as cement, fly ash, bricks, sand, crushed stone, etc.
4. Improved frequency of public transport with different rates to encourage travel during off-peak hours
5. Restriction on driving of Delhi-registered BS3 petrol/CNG LMVs (Light Motor Vehicle = car/SUV) and BS4 diesel LMVs in Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar
6. Restriction on driving Medium Goods Vehicles of BS3 or lower standard in Delhi (except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services)
7. No entry of BS3 of lower standard Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) not registered in Delhi & NCR (except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services)
8. Interstate buses except CNG/EV/BS6 Diesel to not be allowed entry in Delhi & NCR (except buses with all-India tourist permit)

Who Can Drive In Delhi NCR During GRAP-3?

You can drive in Delhi NCR if you meet the following conditions:

• There’s no restriction on any commercial vehicle carrying essential commodities or required for providing essential services.
• There’s no restriction on 2 wheelers regardless of their emission standard and place of registration.
• If an interstate bus has an all-India tourist permit, then there’s no restriction for driving in Delhi NCR.
• There’s no restriction on BS4 petrol/CNG/LNG vehicles
• There's no restriction on BS6 petrol/CNG/LNG/diesel vehicles
• There’s no restriction on LMV (personal car/SUV) registered outside Delhi NCR even if it doesn’t meet newer emission standards. Refer point number 5 in the previous heading and verify this with the official GRAP-3 order from the CAQM website link.

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GRAP-4 (Issued: November 17, 2024; Enforced November 18, 2024)

You can check the GRAP-4 order at the following link:

GRAP Stage IV Order dated 17112024272e205d-f42e-4106-932a-0514c584dfd7.pdf (caqm.nic.in)

When the AQI in Delhi goes above 450, the CAQM categorises it as Severe Plus. Under this situation, GRAP-4 is put in action. GRAP-4 means all of the restrictions of the GRAP-3 are enforced along with some additional rules. For the vehicle owners/driving and travelling, the following additional rules are enforced under GRAP-4:

1. No entry for trucks in Delhi except CNG/EV/BS6 diesel. Vehicles carrying essential commodities or providing essential services are allowed even if they don’t meet the emissions criteria.
2. No entry for LCVs (Light Commercial Vehicles) in Delhi except CNG/EV/BS6 diesel. Vehicles carrying essential commodities or providing essential services are allowed even if they don’t meet the emissions criteria.
3. Strict ban on driving MGVs or HGVs with diesel BS4 or lower standards.
4. Respective state governments under NCR can additionally consider enforcing limitations on driving of vehicles belonging to educational institutions or implementing odd-even rule based on registration number

Who Can Drive In Delhi NCR During GRAP-4?

The GRAP stage 4 doesn’t add any further restrictions for personal vehicle owners over the GRAP stage 3. Therefore, for personal vehicles, the exclusions specified in recent GRAP-3 heading are same as those under GRAP-4.

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Kindly refer to the respective links of official orders from CAQM. Links are provided in the article. We also advise you to carry a printed copy of the same order to minimise any misunderstanding with police and law enforcement officials. You can use the official order copy to confirm that your vehicle is excluded from the GRAP-3/4 order. If they refuse to listen to your arguments, then you can proceed with the fine or challan and challenge it in the court.

Considering the poor foresight of the respective government agencies, the air quality in Delhi and surrounding areas is only likely to deteriorate further in coming days and years. At this rate, we may soon see the CAQM categorise the AQI of more than 500 as Severe Pro, Pro Max and whatnot.

Further, the decision of the Delhi government to start imposing much higher registration fees on electric vehicles appears counterintuitive to their agenda of achieving cleaner air. You can read about it at the following link:

Delhi Govt Hikes Electric Car Registration/Tax From 0% To 10%

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