A 15-member expert committee set up by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has recommended phasing out vehicles powered by internal combustion engines (ICE) in Delhi-NCR by 2040. The proposal aims to reduce vehicular emissions to zero and curb air pollution across the wider air-shed region.

The committee has proposed phasing out Bharat Stage IV vehicles by 2030, BS-VI two-wheelers by 2035 and BS-VI four-wheelers by 2040. It has also recommended ending the registration of new ICE four-wheelers from 2031. Vehicles operating below BS-IV standards should leave Delhi-NCR immediately, in line with the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy.

CAQM is reviewing the recommendations and has already ordered the phasing out of light goods vehicles and three-wheelers based on the report. The committee, led by Indian Institute of Technology Madras professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, includes representatives from the road transport and highways ministry, heavy industries ministry, Automotive Research Association of India and NITI Aayog.

The report, submitted on August 18, also proposes a similar approach across the Indo-Gangetic plain. It calls for right-to-charge legislation, allowing electric vehicle owners to install 3 kW, 7 kW or 11 kW alternating-current chargers at parking spaces, including basements, subject to safety requirements.

Delhi-NCR has 22.1 mn active and fitness-approved vehicles, of which 360,000 are electric, representing 1.6 per cent of the fleet. Nearly 57 per cent meet BS-IV standards or older norms. BS-I to BS-III vehicles account for around 30 per cent of the fleet but contribute nearly 74 per cent of particulate matter emissions, while BS-VI vehicles make up over 41 per cent but contribute about 7 per cent. The panel has recommended immediate removal of older vehicles, scrappage incentives and safeguards against their transfer to other polluted regions. It has also proposed a winter pilot under which BS-IV vehicles could be restricted from November 1 to January 31.