The Commission for Air Quality Management imposed Stage 3 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan across Delhi and the National Capital Region on Friday, banning non-essential construction and shutting stone crushers and mining as air quality worsened toward “severe”, Scroll.in reported, citing the CAQM’s own press release.
What Stage 3 restricts
Under Stage 3 of GRAP, non-essential construction and demolition work is suspended across the NCR, along with stone crushing and mining activity, according to the CAQM order cited by Scroll.in. Primary schools up to Class 5 are being shifted to hybrid mode, with parents and students allowed to choose between in-person and online classes where the option is available.
These measures apply on top of Stage 1 and Stage 2 curbs already in force since October 21 and November 2 respectively, Scroll.in reported. The CAQM reviews and escalates or lifts GRAP stages as the region’s air quality index moves between its four bands: poor, very poor, severe and severe plus.
How bad the air actually is
Delhi’s average air quality index stood at 380 at 5:05 pm on Friday, per Central Pollution Control Board data published on the government’s Sameer app and reported by Scroll.in. Of 58 active monitoring stations in the city, 25 recorded “severe” readings and one recorded “severe plus”.
The worst-hit stations were Punjabi Bagh at 453, Jahangirpuri at 447 and Rohini at 444, all in the severe-plus range. Among neighbouring NCR cities, Gurugram recorded an AQI of 365, Greater Noida 314, Noida 300 and Ghaziabad 259, the lowest of the group.
| Location | AQI (Friday, 5:05 pm) | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Punjabi Bagh (Delhi) | 453 | Severe plus |
| Jahangirpuri (Delhi) | 447 | Severe |
| Rohini (Delhi) | 444 | Severe |
| Delhi (average) | 380 | Very poor to severe |
| Gurugram | 365 | Very poor |
| Greater Noida | 314 | Very poor |
| Noida | 300 | Poor to very poor |
| Ghaziabad | 259 | Poor |
How the four-stage GRAP system works
GRAP is the CAQM’s standing framework for ratcheting pollution controls up or down across Delhi-NCR as the air quality index moves between four bands. Stage 1 applies at “poor” air quality (AQI 201 to 300) and focuses on measures like mechanical road sweeping and dust control at construction sites.
Stage 2 kicks in at “very poor” (AQI 301 to 400) and tightens enforcement against open burning and diesel generator use. Stage 3, now in force, corresponds to “severe” air quality (AQI 401 to 450) and adds the construction, demolition and mining bans described above. Stage 4, reserved for “severe plus” conditions above AQI 450, is the most restrictive tier and can include curbs on truck entry and a push toward work-from-home advisories, though the CAQM has not invoked it NCR-wide in this episode.
What the Supreme Court said the same day
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, hearing a pollution-related matter on Friday, said vehicular emissions remained a major contributor to the crisis and that administrative curbs alone would not solve the problem, according to remarks reported by Hindustan Times and relayed by Scroll.in. The bench did not order fresh restrictions beyond what the CAQM had already invoked.
The timing overlaps with Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year. The Supreme Court had separately ruled days earlier that certified green firecrackers could be sold and used in Delhi-NCR for two days, November 7 and 8, under strict no-cracker zones and patrol conditions, with the year-round ban resuming November 9, as Praman News reported earlier this month.
That overlap means the NCR is likely to see two competing pressures over the same weekend: Stage 3 curbs aimed at bringing pollution down, and two nights of permitted, certified-green firecracker use that officials and courts have historically found pushes AQI readings higher regardless of the cracker type used.
Frequently asked questions
Are schools in Delhi-NCR shutting down entirely?
No. Only primary schools up to Class 5 move to hybrid mode under Stage 3, with the choice between online and offline classes left to parents and students where that option exists, per the CAQM order Scroll.in reported. Higher classes are not covered by this specific measure.
Does Stage 3 ban all construction?
It bans non-essential construction and demolition work and stone crushing and mining activity, according to the reported CAQM order. It does not, per the same report, cover essential infrastructure projects that are separately exempted under the GRAP schedule.
Will firecracker use during Diwali make Stage 3 worse?
The Supreme Court’s two-day allowance for certified green firecrackers on November 7 and 8 runs concurrently with the Stage 3 curbs. Whether the CAQM escalates further will depend on how the CPCB’s AQI readings move over that weekend, which was not yet known at the time of Friday’s order.
What happens next
The CAQM typically reviews GRAP stages daily against the CPCB’s air quality forecast and can escalate to Stage 4 or revoke Stage 3 depending on how the numbers move over the Diwali weekend, when firecracker use and lower winter temperatures usually push pollution higher across the NCR.
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