New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in Delhi NCR on Friday revoked actions under Stage III (‘severe’ Air Quality) of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) following an improvement in AQI owing to strong winds, an official said.
During a review meeting, the Sub-Committee on GRAP decided to revoke its order dated December 13, 2O25, for invoking actions under Stage-III (‘Severe’ Air quality) of the Schedule of GRAP with immediate effect while recommending intensification of actions under Stage-I and Stage II.
During the meeting, the Sub-Committee reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the IMD/IITM forecast, the official said in a statement.
As of now, Stages I, II and III of the extant schedule of GRAP were in force vide order dated October 14, 2025, October 19, 2025 and December 13, 2025, respectively.
Sub-Committee Chairman S.D. Attri, in an order issued after the meeting, said, “While GRAP Stage-III is being revoked, keeping in view the winter season when weather conditions are not so favourable and to ensure that the AQI levels do not slip further, the citizens are requested to strictly adhere to the citizen charter under GRAP-I and II.”
The order said, “Actions under Stage-I and II shall, however, remain invoked and be implemented as per the modified GRAP dated November 21, 2025, monitored and reviewed by all the agencies concerned in the entire NCR to ensure that the AQI levels do not slip further to the ‘Severe/ Severe plus’.
All implementing agencies shall keep strict vigil and especially intensify measures under Stage I & II of the modified GRAP.
The Sub-Committee clarified that construction and demolition project sites, which have been issued specific closure orders on account of violations/ non-compliances of various statutory directions, rules and guidelines, under no circumstances shall resume their operations without any specific order to this effect from the Commission, said the order.
On October 19, the Sub-Committee unanimously rolled out a 12-point action plan under Stage-II, building on existing Stage-I measures. Agencies like the Pollution Control Boards of NCR states and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) were tasked with rigorous enforcement.
The plan kicked off with daily mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on key roads, ramping up machinery shifts, and dusting hotspots and traffic corridors with suppressants before peak hours, ensuring proper waste disposal.
Stricter checks on construction sites, targeted hotspot interventions, and uninterrupted power supply to limit diesel generator (DG) use were also in play. DG operations were restricted to emergencies — hospitals, railways, Metros, airports, sewage plants, water pumps, national security projects, and telecom — as per the direction issued on September 29, 2023.
(IANS)
