The ban on non-essential construction work in Delhi-NCR has been lifted.

NEW DELHI: With air pollution in Delhi-NCR improving, the Centre’s air quality panel directed authorities on Wednesday to lift curbs imposed under stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, along with a ban on non-essential demolition and construction work.

The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was 343 at 4 p.m., down from 385 the day before. An AQI between 201 and 300 is recognized as ‘poor’, 301 and 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 as ‘severe’.

“The forecast by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology does not suggest that the AQI will fall into the “severe” category in the coming days,” the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) stated in an order.

“It is thus felt that it is advisable to relax the stringent restrictions and roll back Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect throughout the entire national capital region (NCR),” the order stated.