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New Delhi: As Delhiites struggle to combat air pollution, authorities implemented Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect on Tuesday. The action comes as the national capital fell under the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season, with the AQI rising from 362 on Monday to 425 in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app showed that, at 7 am on Tuesday, 34 of the city’s 39 active stations recorded ‘severe’ AQI levels, several of them at the higher end of the range. Bawana recorded an AQI of 462, Wazirpur 460, and both Mundka and Punjabi Bagh 452.
An AQI between 51 and 100 is considered ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor’, 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’, and above 400 as ‘severe’.
The government has issued a set of rules under Stage III. Non-essential construction and demolition activities are restricted. This includes work such as earth excavation, piling, laying sewer lines and electric cables through open trench systems, and the operation of Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) batching plants. All private BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles (LMVs) in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida are banned.
Other restrictions include a ban on non-essential diesel-run BS-IV medium goods vehicles and on BS-IV and lower diesel light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi, except those transporting essential goods or providing essential services.
The rules also encourage private companies to adopt work-from-home or hybrid arrangements to help reduce vehicle emissions. Schools up to Class 5 are asked to remain closed, with classes shifted online. Under this stage, public projects considered essential—including railways, metro construction, airports, defence, sanitation, and healthcare—are exempt from the ban and allowed to continue. However, strict dust and waste management guidelines must be followed.
