The Stage III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the National Capital Region (NCR) have been lifted by the Centre due to the improvement in air quality. The Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for devising strategies to combat pollution in the region, held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the significant improvement in Delhi-NCR’s overall air quality.
According to the CAQM, the air quality forecasts from the India Meteorological Department/Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology do not indicate that Delhi’s average air quality will reach the “severe” category in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the Centre has decided to revoke the Stage III restrictions, which were put into effect on November 2. These restrictions included a halt on non-essential construction work, stone crushing, and mining in Delhi-NCR. Additionally, the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar was also restricted.
The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) has shown improvement, dropping from 395 on Monday to 312 on Tuesday at 4 pm.
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