 "Grap IV restrictions lifted in Delhi-NCR as air quality improves")
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday withdrew Stage IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) across Delhi-NCR following an improvement in air quality.
"Air quality index (AQI) of Delhi has shown significant improvement since yesterday night owing to high winds and favourable meteorological conditions and has been recorded as 271 (poor category) on December 24," the Commission said.
However, restrictions under Grap Stages I, II and III will continue to remain in force, it added.
The national capital’s air quality showed further improvement on Wednesday afternoon after several smog-filled days, though the AQI still stood at 349 (very poor category) in the morning.
The CAQM also cautioned that winter weather conditions may not remain favourable for long, with forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) indicating a possible rise in AQI levels due to slower wind speeds in the days ahead.
The announcement comes a day after Delhi's Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government will continue its 'No PUC, No fuel' policy even after lifting the Grap IV restrictions. The policy was introduced last week by the Delhi government, along with a slew of other measures, as part of broader efforts to curb pollution in the national capital.
On Tuesday, the government also cleared several other measures aimed at strengthening the capital’s fight against pollution. These include a ₹100 crore budget to rejuvenate over 1,000 water bodies in Delhi, and the transfer of operational control of public buses from the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) to the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) starting next financial year.