NEW DELHI: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has imposed Stage-IV (Severe+) actions under the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR which will be effective from 8 am on Monday. This is to step up efforts to tackle the worsening air quality in the region.
Looking at the severity of the air pollution, the CAQM imposed a ban on truck entry and a temporary halt on construction at public projects.
Delhi’s daily average AQI clocked 441 today, which further rose to 457 today at 7PM.
This decision was made after an urgent meeting of the GRAP sub-committee on November 17 following thorough evaluation of present air quality indices, weather patterns, and projections provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Earlier, the sub-committee had implemented Stage-I, Stage-II, and Stage-III measures on October 14, October 21, and November 14, respectively.
Delhi chief minister Atishi said in a post on X that from Monday the physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12. All schools will hold online classes, until further orders.
Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, for effective implementation of GRAP-IV in Delhi, will hold meeting with HoDs of all concerned departments tomorrow at 12 noon at Delhi Secretariat.
Key Restrictions Under GRAP-4 in Delhi-NCR
- Stop entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for trucks carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services). All LNG/CNG/Electric/ BS- VI Diesel trucks) shall, however, be permitted to enter Delhi.
- Do not permit LCVS registered outside Delhi, other than EVS/CNG / BS- VI diesel, to enter Delhi, except those carrying essential commodities / providing essential services.
- Enforce strict ban on plying of Delhi – registered BS-IV and below diesel operated Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs) and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in Delhi, except those carrying essential commodities / providing essential services.
- Ban Construction and Destruction activities, as in the GRAP Stage-III, also for linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, tele-communication etc.
Measures for public health and school safety
- The NCR State Government and GNCTD may take a decision on discontinuing physical classes even for classes VI – IX, class XI and conduct lessons in an online mode.
- NCR State Governments / GNCTD to take a decision on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work on 50% strength and the rest to work from home.
- Central Government may take appropriate decision on permitting work from home for employees in central government offices.
- State Governments may consider additional emergency measures like closure of colleges/ educational institutions and closure of non-emergency commercial activities, permitting running of vehicles on odd-even basis of registration numbers etc.
- Citizens may be urged to adhere to the citizen charter and assist in effective implementation of the GRAP measures aimed towards sustaining and improving the Air Quality in the Region, in addition to the citizen charter of Stage-I, Stage-II and Stage-III, as under: Children, elderly and those with respiratory, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or other chronic diseases to avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors, as much as possible.