Center Prohibits Non-Essential Construction, Use of BS-III Petrol & BS-IV Diesel Vehicles

In response to the region’s deteriorating air quality, the Center on Friday issued an order prohibiting non-essential construction work and the operation of four-wheelers powered by BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel.

A sudden spike in Delhi’s daily average AQI can be attributed to unfavourable meteorological conditions such as fog and haze combined with low wind speeds, according to an order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body tasked with developing strategies to combat pollution in the area.

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Since this morning, Delhi’s overall AQI has been rising steadily. At 10 am, it was 397, and at 4 pm, it was 409.

Recalling restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-III, the CAQM mandated that non-essential construction, stone crushing, and mining be prohibited in Delhi-NCR.

The ban does not apply to construction projects related to national security, defence, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, sanitation, and water supply.

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In addition, in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar, the use of four-wheelers classified as BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel is restricted during Stage-III.