Involved over alarming air pollution ranges within the nationwide capital, the centre on Friday imposed restrictions underneath Stage III of the Graded Response Motion Plan (GRAP) on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
The Centre additionally ordered a ban on non-essential development work and plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi-NCR amid worsening air high quality within the area.
Unfavourable meteorological circumstances together with fog and haze with low wind velocity are the foremost causes for a sudden spike in Delhi’s day by day common air high quality index (AQI), the Fee for Air High quality Administration (CAQM), a statutory physique answerable for formulating methods to fight air pollution within the area, stated in an order.
Delhi’s general AQI is steadily rising since this morning. It stood at 397 at 10 am and 409 at 4 pm. Re-invoking curbs underneath Stage-III of the Graded Response Motion Plan (GRAP), the CAQM ordered a ban on non-essential development work, stone crushing, and mining in Delhi-NCR.
Development work associated to nationwide safety or defence, initiatives of nationwide significance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, energy transmission, pipelines, sanitation, and water provide are exempted from the ban.
Below Stage-III, restrictions are additionally imposed on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
GRAP is the Centre’s air air pollution management plan carried out within the area through the winter season.
GRAP categorises actions into 4 phases: Stage I – ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300); Stage II – ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400); Stage III – ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV – ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI>450).
With inputs from businesses.