"CAQM mandates phased cleaner LGV registration, tightens stone-crushing dust controls in NCR"
CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management)
statutory inter-state body (est. 2021) with binding enforcement powers over Delhi-NCR pollution across five states
GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan)
four-stage AQI-triggered restriction framework for Delhi-NCR, first notified in 2017
Delhi's air quality crisis is structurally rooted in its geography and inter-state governance architecture. The city's airshed spans Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, making unilateral state-level action insufficient. Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) routinely breaches National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) — set at 40 µg/m³ and 60 µg/m³ (annual mean) respectively — as notified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a statutory body under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The institutional architecture has evolved through successive judicial and legislative interventions. The M.C. Mehta v. Union of India series was foundational: the Supreme Court mandated CNG conversion of Delhi's public bus fleet and constituted the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) as a court-supervised oversight body. Parliament replaced the EPCA in 2021 with the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), established through a dedicated Act, granting it binding, quasi-federal enforcement authority across Delhi and four adjoining states. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), first notified in 2017, provides a tiered restriction framework triggered by Air Quality Index (AQI) thresholds — a shift toward pre-emptive governance, though seasonal enforcement gaps have persisted.
The CAQM Act, 2021 gives the Commission overriding powers over state pollution control boards in the NCR region. Its Directions are legally binding; non-compliance can attract penalties, and the Commission can issue Closure Orders against violating units. The GRAP operates in four stages — Stage I (Poor AQI: 201–300), Stage II (Very Poor: 301–400), Stage III (Severe: 401–450), and Stage IV (Severe+: above 450) — each triggering progressively stricter restrictions on construction, vehicles, and industries.
Vehicular emissions are a dominant PM2.5 source in Delhi-NCR. Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) are classified under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules into N1 (gross vehicle weight up to 3.5 tonnes) and N2 (3.5–12 tonnes) categories. Despite constituting only about 1.2% of the active vehicle stock, LGVs contribute approximately 3.3% of PM emissions from the total active fleet — a disproportionate emission intensity that makes them a high-leverage intervention target. …
How is the National Green Tribunal (NGT) different from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) ?
1.The NGT has been established by an Act whereas the CPCB has been created by an executive order of the Government.
2.The NGT provides environmental justice and helps reduce the burden of litigation in the higher courts whereas the CPCB promotes cleanliness of streams and wells, and aims to improve the quality of air in the country.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), consider the following statements:
1.CAQM was established through an executive order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
2.CAQM's Directions are binding on State Pollution Control Boards in the NCR region.
3.CAQM replaced the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) which was constituted by the Supreme Court.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for Delhi-NCR is triggered based on which of the following?
Assertion (A): CAQM's Direction No. 103 mandates incorporation of CPCB's dust mitigation guidelines into the Consent to Operate (CTO) conditions of stone crushing units.
Reason (R): Fugitive dust from stone crushing units is a significant contributor to ambient PM10 levels in Delhi-NCR, and embedding standards in CTO conditions makes compliance legally enforceable rather than advisory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above Assertion and Reason?
With reference to Environmental Compensation (EC) as used by CAQM and the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.Environmental Compensation operationalises the 'polluter pays' principle under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
2.EC can be imposed on Thermal Power Plants for non-achievement of biomass co-firing targets.
3.EC collected by CAQM is transferred exclusively to the National Clean Air Fund.
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