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CAQM Tightens Delhi-NCR Winter Pollution Plan for 2026
The Commission for Air Quality Management updated Delhi-NCR’s winter pollution plan.
Some actions will now begin earlier, during Stage I instead of Stage II.
These actions include controls on diesel generators and inter-city buses.
Rules for certain older vehicles will cover more areas around Delhi.
Large construction sites outside city limits will also face registration and camera-monitoring requirements.
The commission expanded the list of actions citizens are asked to follow from 22 to 34.
It also strengthened checks on dust from construction.
The changes are meant to prepare for worsening air pollution during winter.
CAQM shifted some diesel-generator and inter-city bus measures from GRAP Stage II to Stage I.
Stage III restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars now cover Sonipat and parts of three neighboring districts.
Construction and demolition rules now apply beyond municipal limits, including industrial areas, development zones and highway corridors.
Large construction sites of 500 square metres or more must register online and install cameras for video audits.
Citizen-charter measures increased from 22 to 34, alongside stronger dust monitoring across the NCR.
- Who
- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), with measures also discussed by the Delhi government and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
- What
- CAQM revised the Graded Response Action Plan, expanded construction-site monitoring, and added citizen-charter measures for Delhi-NCR.
- Where
- Delhi-NCR, including Sonipat and border areas of Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
- When
- The revision was announced on 28 September, ahead of the winter pollution season.
- Why
- To strengthen pollution controls before winter, when air quality in Delhi and surrounding areas can deteriorate to hazardous levels.
Key facts
- Plan
- Revised Graded Response Action Plan for Delhi-NCR
- Announcing authority
- Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
- Construction threshold
- Projects covering 500 square metres or more must be registered and monitored.
- Earlier measures
- Diesel-generator and inter-city bus measures shifted from Stage II to Stage I.
- Vehicle restrictions
- Stage III restrictions cover BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars in Sonipat and border areas of Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
- Citizen charter
- The number of actions increased from 22 to 34.
- Monitoring expansion
- Construction rules now extend beyond municipal limits to controlled areas, development and industrial zones, and highway corridors.
Quotes
SD Attri
Member of the Commission for Air Quality Management
“The GRAP is implemented by CAQM across all of Delhi-NCR and multiple states. Above and beyond, if the state governments want to implement their own pollution curbing measures, they are more than welcome”
theprint.in
“Mostly we have merged and shifted certain repeated measures from stage II to stage I, relating to construction and transport sectors. We have also increased actions in the citizen charter from 22 to 34”
theprint.in
Sources
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