The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) announced that it will be doubling the parking fees for private vehicles across the national capital as the air quality deteriorates.
As per the official notice, the new rates will be effective till January 31, 2024. It further stated that the action has been taken under Stage IV of the GRAP i.e. 'Severe +' category.
The order said, "Keeping in view the prevailing trend of air quality, in an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the sub-committee decided that ALL actions as envisaged under Stage IV of the GRAP i.e., Severe+ category (DELHI AQI >450) be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in the NCR, with immediate effect, in addition to the stage I, II and III actions already in force."
Stage 4 of GRAP activated in Delhi-NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has made the decision to implement Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the entire National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect. This decision comes in addition to all actions already outlined under Stages I, II, and III of the plan. The primary objective of this move is to prevent any further deterioration of air quality in the NCR, as reported by the news agency ANI.
Air quality concerns in the Delhi-NCR region have prompted the Indian government to impose strict measures, marking the final Stage IV of the air pollution control plan. These measures include a ban on construction work related to linear public projects in the region and restrictions on the entry of polluting trucks and commercial four-wheelers into the capital. Normally, Stage IV is activated at least three days before the Air Quality Index surpasses the 450 mark in Delhi. However, this time, the implementation is reactive due to the worsening air quality.
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