Delhi-NCR get relief as CAQM withdraws GRAP stage 4 restrictions

Delhi-NCR got a breather on Tuesday as the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) revoked Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after pollution levels eased.

But the relief came with a sharp reprimand. Measures under GRAP Stages 1, 2 and 3 will continue, even as the Commission warned a day earlier that repeated and “serious deficiencies” in enforcement by Delhi and neighbouring NCR states had undermined the fight against toxic air when restrictions were at their toughest.

In a detailed review of performance reports submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), CAQM said compliance during GRAP’s most stringent phases—Stage III and Stage IV—was riddled with gaps. Shortfalls ranged from 7% to an alarming 99.6% across key pollution-control actions, according to monitoring by the Commission’s GRAP Control Room, which tracks daily compliance.


Construction and demolition site inspections emerged as one of the weakest links. During Stage III, inspections of sites measuring 500 square metres and above fell short by an average of 87% in Delhi and 99.6% in Haryana’s NCR districts. Rajasthan (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh (NCR) were not far behind, with gaps of 84% and 96%, respectively, against prescribed norms.

Road dust control showed a similar story. Mechanical road sweeping--critical during high-pollution episodes--lagged badly, with a 69% shortfall in both Delhi and Haryana (NCR). While Rajasthan (NCR) recorded a smaller gap of 31% and Uttar Pradesh (NCR) slightly exceeded targets, the deployment of sweeping machines themselves remained inadequate, especially in Delhi, where the average shortfall stood at 59%.

The pattern persisted during Stage IV, as on December 24, when air quality slipped into the ‘Severe’ and ‘Severe+’ categories. Inspections of construction sites remained critically low: 87% shortfall in Delhi, a complete 100% gap in Haryana (NCR), 79% in Rajasthan (NCR), and 97% in Uttar Pradesh (NCR). Mechanical road sweeping continued to underperform in Delhi and Haryana, even as Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh fared comparatively better.

Public grievance redressal, another mandated pillar of GRAP, also failed to deliver. During Stage III, unresolved complaints ranged from 47% to 71% across NCR states. The situation worsened under Stage IV, with 68% to 81% of complaints remaining unresolved in Delhi, Haryana (NCR) and Uttar Pradesh. Even Rajasthan (NCR), which had fewer complaints, failed to close isolated cases.

CAQM cautioned that such recurring lapses, especially during periods of extreme air pollution, “seriously compromise” collective efforts to clean Delhi-NCR’s air. The Commission underlined that GRAP measures are mandatory and binding, and warned that easing restrictions does not dilute the responsibility of agencies to enforce remaining curbs with urgency and rigour.