GRAP Rules Revised, BS-III Petrol And BS-IV Diesel Vehicle Restrictions Extended To Sonipat

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas has revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). It has extended some restrictions and changed the stage at which certain measures will come into effect. One of the key changes is the extension of restrictions on the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel or older light motor vehicles (LMVs) to Sonipat in Haryana under GRAP-III, PTI reported.

Earlier, the restriction applied only to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

The changes were approved at the 30th meeting of the full CAQM held earlier this week and announced on Tuesday. The commission had last made changes to the GRAP framework in November 2025.

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What Is GRAP

GRAP is a set of emergency measures introduced to prevent further deterioration in air quality once pollution reaches specified levels. GRAP-1 is implemented when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is between 201 and 300, while GRAP-2 applies when the AQI is between 301 and 400. GRAP-3 comes into effect between 401 and 500, while GRAP-4 is invoked when the AQI crosses 450.

Bus Entry Restrictions To Apply Under GRAP-I

Under the revised framework, restrictions on the entry of certain inter-city and inter-state buses into Delhi-NCR will now come into force under GRAP-I instead of GRAP-II.

Buses from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and adjoining states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, will not be permitted to enter Delhi-NCR under GRAP-I unless they are electric, CNG or BS-VI diesel vehicles.

The CAQM has also withdrawn the exemption previously available to BS-IV and below goods vehicles transporting essential commodities under GRAP-III and GRAP-IV.

Construction And Demolition Rules Expanded

The CAQM has also amended directions 11 to 18, which were issued in 2021 for the NCR. These directions relate to construction and demolition activities falling under the jurisdiction of urban bodies and municipal areas in the region.

Among other provisions, the directions introduced an online monitoring mechanism through a web portal and made registration mandatory for construction and demolition projects with a plot area of 500 square metres or more.

Following the latest changes, directions 11 to 18 will now cover urban areas, controlled areas, development areas and industrial development areas, along with industrial areas or zones and highway corridor zones across the NCR states.