New Delhi: The Central government has swiftly lifted Stage-III anti-pollution measures across the entire Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) due to the noticeable improvement in air quality levels, with immediate effect.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), a statutory body dedicated to strategising pollution control in the region, convened a meeting on January 1. This decision was based on the improved air quality conditions and meteorological forecasts provided by the IMD/IITM.
Following the forecasts indicating progressive improvement in the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi, currently recorded at 346, a significant 55 AQI points below the threshold for invoking Stage-III actions (Delhi AQI 401-450), the sub-committee of CAQM decided to revoke the Stage-III of GRAP.
An official statement released by CAQM highlighted that the AQI forecasts indicated a sustained improvement and suggested the likelihood of continued betterment within the Very Poor/Poor category in the coming days. However, it was emphasised that measures under Stage-I and Stage-II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) would persist, be monitored, and be enforced by all concerned agencies throughout the NCR.
The directive stressed the need for agencies to maintain rigorous vigilance and intensify measures under Stage-I and II of GRAP to prevent the reinstatement of Stage-III actions. The commission explicitly stated that industrial units previously served with closure orders due to violations or non-compliance with statutory guidelines would not resume operations without explicit approval from the Commission.
The commission's decision to lift Stage-III measures aligns with the recent decline in air quality, which had previously prompted the enforcement of severe restrictions on December 22 last year. During that period, Delhi's AQI had plunged into the 'Severe' category, leading to the initiation of Stage-III actions to curb pollution levels.