New delhi: Amid deteriorating air quality in the Indian capital region, the federal government on Tuesday imposed stricter curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-III in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). The decision was made during a review meeting following the steady rise in pollution levels across the city.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Delhi-NCR is a metropolitan area that includes the entire National Capital Territory of Delhi and the surrounding districts from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The Air Quality Index of Delhi, which was recorded as 362 for Monday (very poor category), exhibited a sharp increasing trend and was recorded at 425 (severe category) at 9:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday. This increase was attributed to calm winds, a stable atmosphere, and unfavorable meteorological conditions, as noted in the order from the Commission for Air Quality Management.

In an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the sub-committee on GRAP decided to invoke all actions under stage-III (severe air quality of Delhi) of the extant schedule of GRAP with immediate effect. This decision was made in right earnest by all agencies concerned in Delhi-NCR, in addition to stage-I and II actions already in force.

Under GRAP-III, a complete ban has been imposed on non-essential construction and demolition activities, including earthwork, piling, trenching, and open-air operations of Ready-Mix Concrete plants.