Urgency in Enforcement of Delhi's Air Quality Management Plan

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) urges strict enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-II) to combat pollution in the National Capital Region. Key actions include controlling stubble burning, improving vehicle pollution control, and enforcing industry compliance with emission standards.

In a decisive bid to tackle escalating air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has emphasized the critical need for rigorous enforcement of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-II). This call to action emerged following a high-level meeting of the Sub-Committee on Safeguarding & Enforcement, which reviewed initiatives by the NCR and Delhi state governments to mitigate pollution, particularly from major contributing sectors.

The committee pinpointed crucial intervention areas, spotlighting the urgency to monitor and enforce restrictions on paddy stubble burning, a key pollution source. Additionally, it scrutinized the adherence to CAQM guidelines on vehicular emissions, evaluating the efficacy of the Revised Vehicle Scrapping Policy and the Pollution Under Control (PUC) regime. Enforcing compliance by penalizing vehicles with obsolete PUCs remained a priority, as did urging urban local bodies to amplify city bus services and inflate parking costs to curb emissions.

The enforcement council reiterated the significance of upholding the firecracker ban during festivals aligned with peak crop harvesting, pushing for cohesive agency collaboration to realize the revised GRAP protocol's preventive measures across various air quality stages. Encompassing stringent mechanised sweeping, deployment of anti-smog canons, and diesel generator restrictions, GRAP's phased actions necessitate continuous monitoring and decisive statutory enforcement for impactful pollution control.

(With inputs from agencies.)