CAQM mandates only CNG, electric vehicles for e-commerce fleets in NCR

From January 2026, no petrol or diesel vehicles can be added to aggregator fleets in NCR, with CAQM pushing for faster transition to clean mobility options

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), responsible for addressing air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas, on Thursday mandated cleaner mobility for aggregators and e-commerce entities to reduce vehicular pollution and facilitate a faster transition to cleaner modes of mobility.

 

In a notification, CAQM said that motor vehicle aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities in Delhi NCR shall only induct CNG and electric three-wheeler autorickshaws into their existing fleets. No conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles running purely on diesel or petrol shall be added to the fleets of four-wheeler light commercial vehicles (LCVs), four-wheeler light goods vehicles (LGVs) in the N1 category (up to 3.5 tonnes), and two-wheelers with effect from January 2026.

 

The existing fleet of vehicles onboarded by these service providers can continue to operate, it added.

 

This directive comes against the backdrop of the transport sector consistently contributing significantly to overall air pollution in NCR, especially during the winter season. Therefore, a faster transition to efficient and cleaner mobility in Delhi NCR is imperative.

 

Within the vehicular sector, commercial vehicles are significantly higher on emissions owing to extensive mileage and, at times, factors such as overloading and poor maintenance.

 

Towards promoting e-mobility in commercial vehicles registered in Delhi, the Transport Department, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), notified the Delhi Motor Vehicle Aggregator and Delivery Service Provider Scheme, 2023. The scheme provides for the licensing and regulation of aggregators offering passenger transport services and delivery of goods and commodities, including through e-commerce entities, in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, CAQM said.

 

Other NCR states — Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan — also need to formulate comprehensive policies for motor vehicle aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities. These should prioritise high vehicle density (HVD) cities such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, which, in addition to intra-city requirements, rely heavily on inter-city vehicle movement.

 

While zero-emission vehicles such as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and other clean technologies need to be targeted for clean mobility in the above services, there is an urgent need to transition from conventional diesel and petrol vehicles to cleaner alternatives.

 

For effective monitoring and implementation, the governments of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been directed to develop a web portal, similar to the one already created by the Transport Department, GNCTD.