The Center is revising the Delhi-NCR air pollution control system, tightening the edges
The Centre’s panel on air quality in Delhi-NCR has issued a revised plan to tackle winter pollution, asking states to adopt stricter measures when air quality deteriorates and forces schools to switch to mixed learning on days with high air pollution.
Bad air quality, driven by bad weather conditions, usually lasts for a long time in winter, from November to January.
During this period, Delhi often applies restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which divides air quality into four categories: Stage I (Poor) with an AQI between 201 and 300, Stage II (Worse) between -301 and 400, Stage III (Severe) between 401 and 450, and Stage IV (Severe Plus) for higher AQI of 450.
According to the revised plan, inter-state buses from NCR states, except those EVs and those running on CNG or BS-VI diesel, will not be allowed to enter Delhi under Phase II. This provision previously came into force under Section III.
Resident social organizations will also be required to provide electric heaters to workers involved in sanitation, gardening, and other services, in addition to security workers, to prevent open burning of biomass or solid waste during the winter.
Persons with disabilities are exempted from the restrictions imposed on BS-III and BS-IV petrol vehicles in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar under Category III.
The Delhi government has been directed to ban diesel medium goods vehicles (MGVs) of BS-IV or older standards, except those carrying essential goods or services, within the city under Category III.
Similarly, non-essential diesel light commercial vehicles (LCVs) of BS-IV or older standards, registered outside Delhi, will not be allowed to enter the city. Earlier, such restrictions were applicable only for BS-III vehicles.
The panel also recommended that schools and colleges in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar shift classes from Class V to hybrid mode (both online and offline) under Phase III. Students and parents will have the option to choose online education wherever it is available.
Under Phase IV, which is implemented when the AQI crosses 450 marks, schools in Delhi and NCR districts will be required to run classes for students from Class VI to IX and XI in mixed mode.
The state governments of Delhi and NCR have also been directed to hold appointments of public offices and municipal bodies under Phase III. The center can decide on the same moving times for central government offices in Delhi-NCR.
