The Supreme Court on Thursday permitted the relaxation of the GRAP IV stage after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said that there is improvement in the air quality and stated that the measures under GRAP IV are no longer required.
The GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) measures are in place to tackle air pollution in Delhi. Earlier on Thursday, residents of the national capital breathed a sigh of relief as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi improved to the ‘moderate’ category after the city faced persistent air pollution for the past month.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded in Delhi on Thursday was 161, categorised as ‘moderate’ as of 8 am, according to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Delhi’s AQI was reeling in ‘very severe’, ‘severe’, ‘very poor’ and ‘poor’ categories post-Diwali. Residents in the region complained of breathing difficulties and several other medical problems.
Increasing AQI in the city led to the implementation of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV measures to curb air pollution. Stage IV enforces a ban on the operation of Delhi-registered BS-IV and below diesel-operated medium goods vehicles (MGVs) and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), except for essential services.
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