Pune to have India’s first Low Emission Zone, tourist hotspots to follow

IN a number one for an native american metropolis, Pune testament institutionalise a low-emission district (LEZ) in its most polluted area, Shivajinagar in the central business district, potentially creating a template for other Indian cities.Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishor Ram said the city plans to ban or sharply restrict the entry of old and highly polluting vehicles in an area covering 7-10% of the city around Shivajinagar. “We will launch it within two months. We are already working with departments such as the police and the RTO, as their role will be critical,” he said, adding that the finer details are still being worked out.The LEZ initiative follows three years of work by the Pune Municipal Corporation, supported by the ITDP India (Institute for Transportation and Development Policy), under Maharashtra’s 2021 Electric Vehicle Policy. The policy mandates LEZs in six cities to reduce emissions in line with the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Preparatory work included examining the legal framework for LEZs and improving public transport and pedestrian infrastructure.A low-emission zone (LEZ) is a designated urban area where the most polluting vehicles are restricted, charged, or barred from entering to cut harmful emissions such as particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides (NOx).The first LEZs emerged in Scandinavia in the 1990s. Stockholm introduced one of the earliest city-level restrictions on heavy diesel vehicles in 1996. The idea then spread across Europe, particularly in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.The most influential and widely cited LEZ programme, however, was launched in London in 2008 under then mayor Ken Livingstone. London later expanded the model through the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in 2019 under mayor Sadiq Khan, making it one of the world’s best-known traffic restriction programmes to promote clean air.While Ram did not specify the final scope of the LEZ in Pune, another person involved in the project said preliminary studies showed that a strict restriction on BS-III and older vehicles across a 14.5 sq km zone covering Shivajinagar and the Peth areas could reduce PM2.5 levels by 80%. The area identified under the programme stretches from Shivajinagar in the north to Swargate in the south, and from SB Road in the west to East Street in the east. The municipal corporation has already granted in-principle approvals for work in this zone.Pranjal Kulkarni, project manager at ITDP India, said a private vehicle information platform has been engaged to further assess the vehicle profile of the proposed zone. During the preliminary assessment, vehicle categories were mapped through surveys conducted at fuel stations, he said.A study and a survey by ITDP released in October 2025 said about 71% of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles running in PMC are BS-4 and below. The same found 96% of 2000 ICE vehicle owners surveyed indicating their unwillingness to pay a pollution charge. This shows that pricing could be a deterrent for people using polluting vehicles. The resulting charge can be used to upgrade public transport, and improve walking and cycling infrastructure.Another person aware of the developments said the restrictions are likely to apply to BS-III and older two-wheelers, passenger cars, and heavy and light commercial vehicles. Autorickshaws, public buses and emergency vehicles are expected to be exempt. Instead of an outright ban, owners of polluting vehicles may be allowed to pay a daily pollution charge. Vehicles found operating without paying the charge could face steeper penalties.While Pune is set to become the first Indian city to implement an LEZ, its industrial satellite city of Pimpri-Chinchwad is planning a city-wide initiative under its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), said Parin Visariya, programme manager at ITDP India. He added that revenue collected through pollution charges and fines would either be used to expand the programme or strengthen public and non-motorised transport systems.Even as Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad move towards implementation, similar initiatives are emerging across the country, from congested temple towns to industrial coastal cities.Jag Parvesh, municipal commissioner at Mathura-Vrindavan said they aim to restrict an 11-km stretch of Parikrama Marg to only electric vehicles and pedestrians by Diwali. He said the move is part of a phased plan to arrange an adequate number of electric buses and e-rickshaws in the temple town, which receives nearly 90 million visitors annually. “We want to make the city as environment-friendly as possible,” he said.He added that authorities are currently operating 50 electric buses, all of which are running at full capacity. “We have registered more than 7,500 e-rickshaws operating on 17 designated routes and stops to ease congestion and pollution. Soon, we will add more e-buses and expand charging infrastructure,” he said.Similarly, Varanasi municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said only e-golf carts and pedestrians will be allowed on the 4-km temple corridor stretch between Maidagin and the main temple in Varanasi. “The stretch attracts a million tourists daily. We have procured the golf carts and operations can begin within a month. Parking spaces will also be created for visitors arriving in private vehicles,” he said.Sarika Panda, who is working with the municipal corporations of Varanasi and Mathura on these plans, said the long-term goal is to phase out all polluting commercial vehicles by 2030 in a phased manner.In Andhra Pradesh, cities are working on developing Clean Air Zones (CAZs) around hospitals, educational institutions and marketplaces to tackle transport emissions.Vivek Vaidyanathan, principal at Artha Global, working with the urban local bodies at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, said the plans focus on expanding public transport through EV buses, including dedicated services for educational institutions to reduce dependence on private vehicles and polluting three-wheelers. Measures such as paid off-street parking, improved walkability and cycling infrastructure are also being worked on to reduce congestion and vehicular emissions.He added that the allocation of ₹50 crore to five Andhra Pradesh cities under the state’s new EV policy has set ambitious targets to tackle urban air pollution by establishing zero-emission zones, installing EV charging infrastructure in parking lots, transitioning city bus fleets entirely to electric vehicles, and deploying EV bus services along key corridors.Vaibhav Kush, lead researcher on LEZs at ICCT India said while there is not much real-world data in India, their research has shown LEZs have the potential to reduce emission loads by 85% for NOx and 50% for carbon monoxide, studying preliminary plans in the Maharashtra cities. “However, it will be dependent on multiple factors like the area of LEZ notified, the duration of enforcement, the vehicle segments regulated among other factors.”