The Commission on Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas has ordered stone crushers and hot mix plants to stop operations due to the deteriorating air quality in the region, an official release said on Wednesday.
The Commission, which met on Tuesday, said there was a need for invoking the Graded Response Action Plan as the air quality in the capital remains in the ‘very poor’ category and is expected to deteriorate further by Friday to the upper end of ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category.
The Commission also asked Haryana and Punjab governments to take immediate, stringent actions to curb stubble burning and other biomass burning in other NCR towns.
It also decided to increase the frequency of mechanised cleaning and water sprinkling on those roads which generate a lot of dust. Construction sites were asked to adhere to standard operating procedures and any violation can attract imposition of penalty or temporary stoppage of construction activities.
The Centre recently constituted the Commission under the chairmanship of former Petroleum Secretary KK Kutty to ensure stricter actions for improving air quality in Delhi and neighbouring areas.