Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas is keeping a close watch on the situation and will review the air quality scenario on a regular basis in the coming days.

Unfavorable meteorological conditions, very high incidents of farm fires and low speed North-Westerly winds moving the pollutants to Delhi are the major causes for sudden spike in AQI;

An 8-point action plan as per Stage-IV of GRAP is applicable with immediate effect from today in the entire NCR. This 8-point action plan includes steps to be implemented/ ensured by different agencies and Pollution Control Boards of NCR and DPCC. These steps are:
1. Stop entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for trucks carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services and all LNG/ CNG/ electric trucks).
2. Do not permit LCVs registered outside Delhi, other than EVs/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel, to enter Delhi, except those carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services.
3. Ban on plying of Delhi – registered diesel operated Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs) and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in Delhi, except those carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services.
4. Ban C&D activities also in linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines etc.
5. NCR State Govts. and GNCTD may take a decision on discontinuing physical classes even for classes VI – IX, class XI and conduct lessons in an online mode.
6. NCR State Governments/ GNCTD to take a decision on allowing public, municipal and private offices to work on 50% strength and the rest to work from home.  
7. Central Government may take appropriate decision on permitting work from home for employees in Central Government offices.
8. State Governments may consider additional emergency measures like closure of colleges/ educational institutions and closure of non-emergency commercial activities, permitting running of vehicles on odd-even basis of registration numbers etc.

Tapas Bhattacharya's Report