NEW DELHI: Restrictions on the movement of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar; work from home for 50% staff in govt and private offices in Delhi; hybrid mode for classes till IX and XI in Delhi; ban on construction and demolition activity, and barring the entry of non-essential trucks running on non-cleaner fuels in the city are among the restrictive measures under stage III and IV of the GRAP, which came into force from Saturday.
After Delhi’s AQI touched 401 at 10 am on Saturday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed the Graded Response Action Plan’s stage III. However, stage IV was later invoked as AQI continued to rise. The AQI crossed 450 and reached the ‘severe plus’ range at 8 pm and it increased to 455 at 9 pm.
Currently, all stages of GRAP are in force. “The AQI of Delhi, which was recorded as 431 at 4 pm, exhibited an increasing trend and has been recorded as 441 at 6 pm owing to slow wind speed, stable atmosphere, unfavourable weather parameters, meteorological conditions and lack of dispersal of pollutants,” said CAQM. It added that stage IV was imposed in an effort to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region.
Following the enforcement of new stages, Delhi govt issued directions under section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to all govt offices and all private offices operating within Delhi to work at 50% strength and the rest to work from home. It also directed all heads of schools of govt, govt-aided, unaided, recogni-sed private schools to run classes in hybrid mode, except for classes X and XII.
As part of the GRAP’s stage III, construction and demolition activity has been banned in Delhi-NCR, which will impact the livelihood of daily-wage labourers. Exemptions granted to linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, telecommunication, etc, have been lifted in stage IV.
GRAP’s stage III and IV primarily focus on reducing vehicular pollution. Among the non-essential vehicles that are restricted are BS III petrol and BS IV diesel light motor vehicles, BS IV diesel or below truck traffic into the capital, Delhi-registered diesel-operated BS-IV and below heavy goods vehicles, Delhi-registered diesel-operated medium goods vehicles, and non-Delhi registered BS-IV diesel-operated goods carriers entering the city.
“Children, elderly and those with chronic diseases should avoid outdoor activities,” CAQM advised.
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Priyangi Agarwal writes on environmental and climate change issue...
Read MorePriyangi Agarwal writes on environmental and climate change issues, connecting these topics to the everyday lives of people. She tracks developments across the capital’s transport hubs—Delhi Metro, Namo Bharat Trains, and Delhi Airport—while also reporting on pressing social issues. Her stories blend data analysis with voices from the ground to tell human-centred narratives. Previously stationed in western Uttar Pradesh, she focused her coverage on minority issues, health, and human rights.
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