Noida admin says will enforce GRAP III compliance as AQI dips

Noida: As CAQM invoked GRAP III in Delhi NCR amid deteriorating air quality, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said it will strictly ensure compliance of the anti-pollution body's orders and enforce ban on construction activities across Noida and Greater Noida, among others.

The ban will not be on exempted essential works but only on those where applicable, District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said, citing guidelines of the Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas.

"All construction activities except those exempted by the CAQM will be strictly banned and other guidelines of the GRAP will be strictly enforced in the district," Verma told PTI.

Construction work related to national security or defence, projects of national importance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, sanitation and water supply is exempt from the ban, according to GRAP III provisions.

On CAQM's provision for suspension of physical classes up to class 5 in schools, the DM said the rule is not binding on institutes but the administration will issue an advisory for switching to online classes in the coming days once it goes through the details of the order.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a comprehensive plan that outlines specific actions to be taken at different levels of air pollution, ranging from moderate to severe. These actions include measures like banning certain industrial activities, road rationing and traffic diversions for heavy vehicles, and controlling construction dust.

UP Pollution Control Board's regional officer (Noida) Utsav Sharma on Thursday evening said CAQM's provisions under GRAP III have been invoked in the region.

"This season, the GRAP came into effect from October 1 and subsequently its stage I and II were invoked as the air quality dipped in the region. During October, a total of 65 GRAP violations were recorded in Noida for which penalties worth around Rs 89 lakh issued to offenders," Sharma told PTI.

The penalties issued by the UPPCB Noida were separate from those imposed by the local Noida Authority, the Greater Noida Authority and the UPPCB Greater Noida.

In Noida, majority of the violations were in the industrial category like keeping construction material uncovered, using unpermitted fuel, etc, the officer said, adding that "construction and road-side dust, vehicular emissions" are biggest contributors of pollution in the city.

Thursday marked a hazy, smog-filled day across Noida and Greater Noida, with several residents taking to social media to raise their concerns about rising air pollution.

The air quality index (AQI) at 8 pm was recorded at 384 (very poor) in Noida and 426 (severe) in Greater Noida, according to Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer App. At 4 pm, the figures were recorded at 351 (very poor) and 402 (severe), respectively.

GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI>450).