On-ground action to continue despite lifting of GRAP 3 curbs in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday said that even though restrictions under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP 3) have been lifted, on-ground anti-pollution operations will continue with the same rigour and priority across the national capital.

Sirsa said the decision to revoke GRAP 3 curbs was taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) sub-committee following a marked improvement in air quality. He emphasised that directions for sustained enforcement and field-level action would remain in force and be implemented without interruption.

According to an official statement, the minister said that Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a sharp improvement, dropping from 380 to 236 within 24 hours.

It said Bawana recorded an AQI of 141, placing it in the 'good' category and indicating the impact of intensified measures on the ground.

Noting that GRAP 3 restrictions were lifted on Friday, Sirsa said the improvement was the result of continuous work on major pollution sources such as vehicular emissions, industrial waste, dust and open dumping.

"We are encouraged by the progress, but this is not the time to relax. On-ground operations will continue with the same force to consolidate the gains we have made," Sirsa said.

According to figures shared by the Environment Department, enforcement agencies carried out large-scale anti-pollution drives across the city in the past 24 hours.

Challans numbering 6,596 were issued for vehicular emission violations while around 12,000 metric tonnes of garbage were removed from various city zones.

Officials said 6,261 km of roads were mechanically swept to reduce dust load and 2,315 metric tonnes of construction and demolition waste were lifted and transported for scientific disposal.

Four hundred five inspections were conducted at illegal dumping sites, leading to 156 enforcement actions.

In addition, 40 traffic congestion points were decongested across major corridors and 99 light motor vehicles were challaned for violating entry restrictions.

Sirsa said pollution control teams continued to focus on direct source mitigation, including compliance checks at industrial clusters and the deployment of smog guns and anti-smog vehicles at traffic-heavy stretches and identified hotspots.

He added that initiatives such as legacy waste biomining at the rate of 35 metric tonnes per day and the expansion of clean technology interventions in the industrial and transport sectors were beginning to show measurable results.

Reiterating the government's resolve, the minister said Delhi's fight against pollution was ongoing and determined, with agencies adapting and strengthening their response on a daily basis to ensure cleaner air for the city.