Delhi Air Pollution: The Air Quality Management Commission on Saturday decided to implement the measures under Phase III of the Graded Response Action Plan in view of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR. These are the measures prescribed under Phase III.
- Ban on all construction and demolition activities, except for essential projects and services related to national security, defence, healthcare, railways, airports, metro rail, interstate bus terminus, highways, roads, flyovers, power transmission, pipelines. Mining activities will also not be allowed in the area.
- Restrictions on construction and demolition activities also include earthworks for excavation, boring and drilling; fabrication and welding operations; loading and unloading of building materials; Transfer of raw materials including fly ash, either manually or through conveyor belts and vehicular movement on unpaved roads.
- Phase III also imposes restrictions on the operation of batching plants; sewer line, waterline, drainage works and electric cabling through open trench system; cutting and applying tiles, stones and other flooring materials; grinding activities; piling work; water proofing work; Road construction and repair work, including paving of sidewalks, walkways and central ledges among others.
- In view of the deteriorating air quality, states may ban plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four wheelers in NCR.
- This instruction is not binding on the officers.
- Brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers not operating on clean fuel and mining and related activities in NCR have also been banned.
- Industries and supplies that do not run on approved fuels in industrial areas with PNG infrastructure will have to be shut down.
- In industrial areas that do not have PNG infrastructure and supplies, industries that do not use the approved fuel can operate only five days a week.
- Paper and pulp processing, distilleries and captive thermal power plants will remain inactive on Saturday and Sunday. Paddy/Rice processing units will remain inactive on Monday and Tuesday. Textiles/textiles and apparel including dyeing processes will remain inactive on Wednesday and Thursday. Other industries which do not fall in the above categories will remain dormant on Fridays and Saturdays. Milk and dairy units and those involved in manufacturing of life-saving medical equipment, medicines and drugs are exempted from the restrictions.
- Under the third phase, the frequency of mechanized/vacuum based cleaning of roads is to be accelerated. Officials are expected to spray water on roads, hotspots, heavy traffic corridors, before peak traffic hours and use dust suppressants and dump the collected dust at designated sites or landfills. Authorities need to speed up public transport services and introduce differential rates to encourage off-peak travel.