Air quality panel lifts ban on construction work in Delhi-NCR as pollution levels drop

The Commission for Air Quality Management on Monday lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-National Capital Region on account of the reduction in air pollution.

“The CAQM considering the improvement in air quality and meteorological forecast allows the resumption of C&D [construction and demolition] activities in NCR and also the entry of trucks into Delhi with immediate effect,” the panel said on Twitter.

The Commission for Air Quality Management, however, said that construction sites need to follow the norms laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board, the Hindustan Times reported.

It also said that all construction and demolition sites in Delhi and in NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh that have a plot size of over 500 square metres will need to register themselves on web portals created by the state governments.

The portals have not yet been created in Rajasthan and Haryana. In the NCR districts in these states, construction sites will have to complete the registration process by January 20, 2022.

The panel also clarified that sites that had been shut down for violation of norms will not be allowed to reopen under Monday’s order. It said that all such project proponents will need to approach it individually for permission to restart construction work.

The air quality commission had first banned construction activities, except those notified as “essential”, on November 16. The order was in force till November 21.

On November 25, construction activities were again banned in Delhi and the adjoining National Capital Region following a Supreme Court order.

Delhi’s air pollution levels had worsened drastically since Diwali, but have improved in recent days. On Sunday, the air quality index in the Capital was in the “poor” category at 271. PM10 levels were at moderate levels (211), while PM2.5 levels were in the “very poor” category (121).