Delhi-NCR lifts GRAP Stage 3: What residents can access again, and what’s still off-limits?

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday revoked the restrictions under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR and directed to intensify the curbs under the first and second stages of GRAP in the capital and its surrounding areas.

GRAP 3 curbs prohibited all inter-state buses, from the NCR region (except electric and CNG vehicles and BS-VI diesel buses) from entering Delhi, with schools operating in hybrid mode for classes up to Standard 5, among other measures.

What happens to ‘50% WFH’ mandate?

With the withdrawal of the Stage-3 measures, the 50% work-from-home mandate for offices has been discontinued and the hybrid mode of classes being followed by schools has also been revoked, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said in a post on X.

Earlier, the Delhi government had instructed all its offices and private establishments to operate with 50% staff on-site, with the remaining employees working from home.

Here's what changes under GRAP I and GRAP II:

Restrictions under GRAP I

GRAP Stage 1 mandates the following measures in Delhi:

1. Thorough checks on polluting vehicles, better traffic management, and emission controls in industries, power plants, and brick kilns.

2. Ban on open waste burning, limit diesel generator use, and ban the use of coal or firewood in eateries.

3. Public transport remains open, with the public urged to use it more instead of individual cars.

GRAP Stage II includes measures such as mechanised road sweeping, the use of anti-smog guns, and daily water sprinkling, among others, to tackle the pollution.

Restrictions under GRAP II

Here are the restrictions which fall under GRAP Stage 2:

1. Ban on the use of coal and firewood in Delhi.

2. Using diesel generator sets is not permitted except for emergency and essential services under GRAP II.

3. All construction and demolition sites and industrial units with specific closure orders against them are also not allowed to resume operations

Delhi AQI today

Air quality in Delhi and other parts of the National Capital Region continued to remain at worrying levels on Wednesday, with the AQI in the morning hovering at 371 – in the "very poor" category – down from 420 at the same time on Tuesday, as per air quality tracker aqi.in.

Visuals from Delhi-NCR on Wednesday morning showed scenes that have become typical in winters, with toxic smog shrouding parts of the city.