Private construction banned in Delhi-NCR
Hindustan TimesAir pollution in Delhi increased significantly on Sunday, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke emergency measures that include a ban on all private construction activity. Under Stage III of Grap, states also have the option to enforce a ban on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles plying on the roads, which was enforced the last time Delhi’s air went into the “severe” category. The Air Quality Index in the capital was 407 on Sunday, according to the 4pm national bulletin of the Central Pollution Control Board, touching the “severe” category for the first time in a month. The commission in an emergency meeting invoked measures under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan with immediate effect, which includes a ban on private construction activity across the national capital region, closure of all brick kilns and hot mix plants not operating on clean fuels, closure of all stone crushers in NCR, and a ban on mining and its associated activities. It then lifted Stage III measures on November 14, after the AQI improved to “poor”.