GRAP Stage III curbs in Delhi-NCR as air quality turns ‘severe’: What’s allowed, what’s not

Amid deteriorating air pollution levels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has announced the implementation of Stage III measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the Delhi-NCR region.

Stage III of GRAP is enforced when the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranges between 401 and 450. Under these restrictions, public, municipal, and private offices are permitted to operate with only 50 per cent staff, while the remaining employees are advised to work from home.

The Stage III curbs had earlier been lifted on January 2 following a temporary improvement in air quality.


As part of the measures, non-essential construction and demolition activities, along with stone crushing and mining operations, have been banned. Restrictions have also been imposed on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers across Delhi-NCR, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Additionally, the entry of older diesel goods vehicles into Delhi has been prohibited.

Schools up to Class 5 have shifted to a hybrid mode of learning, while offices across Delhi-NCR are allowed to function with limited physical attendance.

GRAP was first notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2017 and is implemented through the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority.

In November 2025, the CAQM further tightened GRAP norms by advancing several pollution-control measures to earlier stages. Under the revised framework, restrictions are now triggered sooner as AQI levels worsen. Several curbs that earlier fell under Stage II (‘Poor’ AQI 201–300) are now enforced at Stage I, while measures previously listed under Stage III (‘Very Poor’ AQI 301–400) have been shifted to Stage II.

Similarly, restrictions that were earlier applicable only under Stage IV (‘Severe+’) are now enforced at Stage III, reflecting a more aggressive approach to tackling air pollution in the region.