The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) annulled the third stage of its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which was imposed to lower alarming levels of air pollution, and construction activities in Delhi-NCR resumed after a 26-day break.
On November 2, GRAP-III went into effect, restricting building and demolition operations in Delhi and the greater National Capital Region. Real estate developers applauded the action and asked that the industry be exempted from similar regulations going forward. They argued that prohibiting construction activities would result in job losses because the vast majority of construction workers are unorganized and, in most cases, would increase project costs and delay handover to buyers by up to three months for every 30 days of stoppage.
The air quality index, or AQI, dropped from levels of 395 on November 27 to 312 on November 28 (both levels falling into the “very poor” category), which is approximately 83 AQI points below the threshold for invoking GRAP Stage III actions, according to the order issued by CAQM to revoke Stage III of GRAP. When the AQI surpasses 400 and enters the “severe” category, GRAP III is triggered.
