Delhi Air Quality: Restrictions On All Petrol, Diesel Cars Lifted, All You Need To Know

As the air quality in Delhi and the National Capital Region improved from severe to 'very poor', several restrictions, including restrictions on construction and polluting vehicles, have been eased.

On Tuesday, the Centre ordered the revocation of restrictions under Stage III of GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate effect.

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What restrictions have been lifted

The move paves the way for removing restrictions on the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

On Tuesday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Sub-Committee noted that the AQI of Delhi has improved about 83 points below the threshold for invoking the GRAP Stage-III actions. It further said that the AQI will likely remain in the 'very poor' category in the next few days.

"Keeping in view the disruptive nature of restrictions under Stage-III of GRAP impacting a large number of stakeholders and public as well as considering the significant improvement in the average AQI of Delhi-NCR, the GRAP Sub-Committee unanimously decided to revoke Stage-III of GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate effect," the Commission for Air Quality Management, said.

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What restrictions are still in place

Actions under Stages-I to Stage-II of GRAP shall, however, remain invoked and "be implemented, intensified, monitored and reviewed by all agencies concerned in NCR to ensure that the AQI levels do not slip further to the 'Severe' category, the CAQM said.

Construction and demolition project sites and industrial units which have been issued specific closure orders on account of violations or 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, it said.

The panel had on November 18 revoked curbs prescribed under Stage IV of Centre's air pollution control plan in Delhi-NCR after air quality improved.

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How GRAP stages are decided

CAQM, however, said that actions under Stages-I to Stage-II of the GRAP shall however remain invoked and be implemented in Delhi NCR.

The GRAP for the NCR has been classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi, viz. Stage 每 I 'poor' (AQI 201 每 300), Stage 每 II 'very poor (AQI 301-400), Stage 每 III 'severe' (AQI 401-450) and Stage 每 IV 'severe plus' (AQI more than 450), respectively.

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