GRAP Stage 2 Invoked in Delhi as Air Quality Turns "Very Poor": What Is Allowed and What Is Not
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi after the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) entered the "very poor" category.
Delhi's AQI rose sharply: 117 (moderate) on October 31, 261 (poor) on November 1 and 324 (very poor) on November 2, 2026. The CAQM blamed unfavourable weather conditions.
Stage 2 steps include mechanical road sweeping, water sprinkling and anti-smog guns to control dust, higher parking fees to discourage private vehicles, and staggered office timings for public offices in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar.
Older, more polluting vehicles face restrictions: Delhi-registered BS-III and older petrol and diesel vehicles, outside cars of BS-IV and below, older buses and commercial vehicles, and any vehicle without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate. Open burning of garbage and leaves is banned. Electric, CNG and BS-VI vehicles and emergency vehicles are allowed.
The Delhi Metro is running extra trips on weekdays. In September 2026, the CAQM had also changed the GRAP framework, extending Stage 3 curbs on older four-wheelers to Sonipat in Haryana.
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) is a statutory body, set up by a law of Parliament, that manages air pollution in Delhi-NCR and nearby states (Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh). It can issue binding directions to governments, agencies and industries. One of its main tools is the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a ladder of emergency steps that get stricter as air quality worsens.
The CAQM invoked GRAP Stage II because Delhi's AQI crossed 300 (very poor). The measures on parking fees, office timings, dust control and older vehicles all come from the Stage II schedule.
Air Quality Index (AQI) Framework
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a single number, from 0 to 500, that tells people how clean or polluted the air is on a given day. Instead of giving many separate readings for different pollutants, it turns them into one easy number, one colour and one word, such as "Good" or "Very Poor". The higher the number, the dirtier the air and the greater the health risk. India's National AQI was launched in 2014 and is run by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Delhi's AQI moved from 117 (moderately polluted) to 324 (very poor) in just three days. Because GRAP stages are tied to AQI bands, crossing 300 put Delhi into the "very poor" band and led the CAQM to invoke Stage 2.
- Delhi AQI: 117 on October 31, 261 on November 1, 324 on November 2, 2026
- GRAP Stage 2 invoked by the CAQM for "very poor" air (AQI 301-400)
- GRAP stages: I (201-300), II (301-400), III (401-450), IV (above 450)
- Staggered timings for public offices in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar; higher parking fees across NCR
- Restricted in Delhi: BS-III and older Delhi-registered petrol and diesel vehicles; outside cars of BS-IV and below; older buses and commercial vehicles; vehicles without valid PUC; open burning
- A separate order restricts entry and operation of non-BS-VI vehicles in Delhi from November 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027
- September 2026: GRAP Stage 3 curbs on older four-wheelers extended to Sonipat (earlier only Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar)