Delhi Pollution: Commission For Air Quality Management Revokes Stage 3 Of GRAP

In view of improving air quality in the national capital, a sub-committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday announced to revoke the Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR, as reported by ANI.

During GRAP Stage 3, all construction and demolition activities, with the exception of essential government projects, as well as mining, stone crushing, and the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and its surrounding areas, were brought to a complete halt.

"AQI of Delhi has been progressively improving and has been recorded as 316 at 2.00 pm, which is about 85 AQI points below the threshold for invoking the Grap Stage III actions (Delhi AQI 401-450) and preventive/mitigative/restrictive actions under all Stages up to Stage III are underway, there is likelihood of sustaining the improvement in AQI," the CAQM in a statement.

"The forecast by IMD/IITM also does not indicate any significant deterioration and there is a likelihood of the AQI improving and remaining in the lower end or very poor category in the next few days," the statement added.

The order to revoke GRAP stage 3 will now allow construction and development in Delhi and NCR, which were halted earlier.

"Construction and development project sites and industrial units which have been issued specific closure orders on account of violations/non-compliances of various statutory directions, rules, guidelines etc. under no circumstances will resume their operations without any specific order to this effect from the commission," the statement read.