New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- Older goods vehicles carrying essential commodities will no longer be exempt from curbs once the two strictest stages of Delhi-NCR's pollution-control plan kick in.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has removed the exemption for BS-IV and below vehicles under Stages III and IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The change is part of a revised GRAP schedule approved by the CAQM Full Commission at its meeting on Monday. It removes the exemption for light and medium goods vehicles (LGVs and MGVs) at Stage III, and for trucks and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) at Stage IV.

To be sure, similar curbs have been in place before. The commission had imposed them through separate orders issued on top of ...