For builders and homebuyers following an NCR project, the practical question is which requirements apply to that site.
The Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, across the National Capital Region with immediate effect on October 21. The announcement says all 25 first-stage measures apply.
The announcement cited Delhi’s average AQI of 245 at 4 pm IST that day, in the “Poor” category. That is a dated observation, not a live reading for every NCR locality.
The Breakdown
The governing schedule was revised on September 29; calling a stage into force is a separate decision.
For projects on plots of at least 500 sq m, authorities must not permit construction or demolition if registration on the relevant state or Delhi portal is missing and/or other statutory remote-monitoring requirements for dust mitigation under Directions 11–18 are unmet. Registration alone is insufficient. The threshold concerns plot size, not built-up area.
Smaller plots receive no general dust-control exemption. Wider duties include covered material storage and transport, water sprinkling and applicable anti-smog-gun norms.
Stage I alone brings no blanket construction shutdown. Independent state and local requirements still need checking.
Why This Matters
Enforcement also needs a local chain of responsibility. In a separate October 21 implementation review, CAQM assigned coordination to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and ground-compliance monitoring to Delhi’s district magistrates. Those are Delhi-specific responsibilities, rather than one arrangement covering every NCR state.
An announced review process does not establish that a particular development has been inspected, cleared or found in breach. For readers following a project, an agency’s enforcement responsibilities and the site’s actual compliance record are different pieces of information.
The Crunch
Ask which rule applies, how the site complies and what work is actually affected before drawing conclusions about a project’s timetable.