Delhi can now breathe a sigh of relief as the pollution levels have eased and GRAPIII has been revoked from immediate effect. The restrictions on BS 3 petrol and BS 4 diesel cars were officially lifted on Sunday night. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for Delhi and its adjoining area has decided to revoke the Stage-III (‘Severe’ Air Quality) measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR with immediate effect.
This comes after an improvement in the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the region, driven by favourable meteorological conditions. The decision was taken during a meeting held on January 1, 2025, following a downward trend in the AQI levels, which had breached the 350-mark earlier, prompting the initial invocation of Stage-III actions on January 3.
The CAQM has confirmed that the actions under Stage-I and Stage-II of the revised GRAP will remain enforced. These measures will continue to be implemented, monitored, and reviewed by the relevant agencies in the entire NCR to prevent any further deterioration in air quality.
In light of this improvement, the sub-committee decided to revoke the Stage-III measures, based on both the real-time AQI data and forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). These forecasts indicated that while the AQI could remain in the “Very Poor” or “Poor” category, it was not expected to deteriorate further.
“Delhi’s average AQI has been consistently improving as at 2PM it clocked 348, at 3PM it recorded 343,which further improved to 339 in the 4PM AQI Bulletin provided by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and again improved to 335 at 5PM, clearly indicating a downward trend. Keeping in view the disruptive nature of restrictions under Stage-III of GRAP impacting a large number of stakeholders and public as well as considering the trend of improvement in the average AQI of Delhi, the GRAP Sub-Committee unanimously decides to revoke Stage-III of revised GRAP in the entire NCR, with immediate effect,” it said.
“Construction & Demolition project sites and industrial units etc. which have been issued specific closure orders on account of violations/ non-compliances of various statutory directions, rules, guidelines etc. under no circumstances shall resume their operations without any specific order to this effect from the Commission,” read the order.
While Stage-III measures are no longer in effect, the CAQM has urged the public to continue adhering to the citizen charter under Stage-II guidelines, especially considering the ongoing winter season when meteorological conditions can vary unpredictably.
