New Delhi: Delhi recorded its worst air quality of the season on Tuesday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) plunging deep into the “severe” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 428 at 4 pm, marking a steep rise from 362 recorded a day earlier. The air quality deterioration prompted authorities to invoke Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect.
Data from the CPCB’s Sameer app showed that at 7 am, 34 of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations reported “severe” AQI levels, Bawana logged 462, Wazirpur 460, and both Punjabi Bagh and Mundka recorded 452. Under Stage III, non-essential construction and demolition activities have been banned. Restrictions have also been placed on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. Private companies have been advised to implement work-from-home or hybrid models to reduce vehicular emissions, while schools up to Class 5 have been directed to shift to hybrid learning.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level review meeting at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday, where she assessed the city’s pollution situation and directed officials to intensify action. “The health and safety of children are our foremost priority,” she said, announcing that all classes up to Grade 5 will temporarily operate in hybrid mode to shield students from toxic air.
Cabinet Ministers Pravesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, and Manjinder Singh Sirsa, along with Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma and senior officers, attended the meeting. The discussion focused on curbing vehicular emissions, dust pollution, and open burning. Gupta instructed officials to “act promptly and in a mission-oriented manner” to address the worsening conditions.
She emphasised that water sprinklers, anti-smog guns, and mechanical road sweepers are already operational across the city, adding, “There is no room for delay. We are addressing the pollution challenge in a coordinated and time-bound manner.”
To ensure strict enforcement of GRAP Stage III, the Chief Minister announced that the number of enforcement teams has been increased to 2,088. These teams, supervised by Divisional Commissioners and District Magistrates, will conduct road inspections, penalise violators, and monitor construction sites. “Any site found violating pollution norms will face immediate sealing and heavy penalties,” Gupta warned.
The Chief Minister also directed that dust control be treated as a “mission-mode” activity. Agencies like the MCD and PWD have been instructed to make all city roads “wall-to-wall”, fill potholes, and install over 300 mist spray systems at pollution hotspots by November 30.
Gupta further ordered the immediate clearance of solid waste piles and strict implementation of construction-site waste management norms. She instructed agencies such as NBCC, NHAI, and the Delhi Metro to maintain full barricading and install smog guns at all active sites. On open waste burning, she said a drive would be launched to identify households using solid fuels for cooking and connect them with cleaner alternatives under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. “We are fully committed to combating pollution with seriousness and systematic planning,” Gupta asserted.
The Chief Minister added that while external factors such as emissions from neighbouring states contribute to Delhi’s pollution, her government remains determined to “implement local solutions with full accountability and urgency.”