The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on Wednesday announced an immediate ban on all construction and demolition activity carried over an area of 500 sqm. and above that are not registered on the web portals created by the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Last year, the CAQM had ordered that all the projects (on a plot area equal to or greater than 500 sqm.) of construction and demolition under the territorial jurisdiction of urban local bodies in the NCR would have to mandatorily register themselves at a dedicated web portal created by the State governments.
The prohibition on such construction and demolition activities came into effect as the CAQM announced the implementation of ‘stage 1’ of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to control air pollution in Delhi and NCR with “immediate effect”.
The decision was taken as Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) worsened to the “poor” category on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
GRAP is a set of emergency measures taken to reduce air pollution. The measures include banning construction activities and entry of trucks into Delhi.
There are 24 measures under stage 1 of GRAP, most of which are directions to States for strict implementation of various existing measures to control air pollution.
Last month, the Delhi government imposed a complete ban on the production, sale and use of all types of firecrackers, including green crackers, till January 1, 2023. However, on Wednesday, people reportedly violated the ban and fired crackers in different parts of the city.
