New Delhi: The Air Quality Index, a measure of air pollution levels in the national capital, hit 382 on the evening of Friday (November 6), nearing the “severe” category. This has prompted authorities to invoke Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP, which is a series of restrictive emergency measures to control air pollution in the national capital.Under this stage, numerous restrictive measures will be strictly implemented. These include bans on all piling work and demolitions, major road construction activities and repairs, ban on the use of coal and wood for heating purposes and several restrictions on the types of vehicles plying roads (depending on their engines).‘Precautionary measure’The Air Quality Index of New Delhi hit 382 at 4 pm on November 6. The Commission for Air Quality Management announced that it was invoking Stage III of the GRAP as a “precautionary measure”, taking into account the decreasing air quality in the national capital.The first stage, GRAP-I, kicks in when the AQI is between 201 and 300 (“poor” air quality); the second stage, GRAP-II when the AQI is between 301 and 400 (“very poor”) and GRAP-III usually kicks in only when the AQI is between 401 and 500 (“severe”).The final stage, GRAP-IV is invoked when the AQI is more than 450 (severe+).However, many air quality monitoring stations under the CPCB in Delhi-NCR have already crossed the 400 limit, effectively hitting the “severe” air quality category.Dwarka Sector 8, for instance, recorded an AQI of 425 at 4 pm on November 6, per the Air Quality Early Warning and Decision Support System for Delhi (as per the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences). Najafgarh was at an AQI of 430 at the same time, while Punjab Bagh was at 455, and Rohini at 449.‘Why not revert to original customs?’: CJIOn November 6, the Supreme Court flagged vehicular emissions as a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR and stressed on the need for immediate, medium and long-term measures to tackle the worsening air quality in the city, reported the New Indian Express. A three-judge bench which included Chief Justice of India Surya Kant noted that “no restriction” was going to work.“Why don’t we revert to our original customs,” the news report quoted him as saying, meaning that Diwali was meant to be a festival of lights, not a festival of smoke.The court also remarked on the plight of daily wage earners and other economically weaker sections, including people who have no other option but to work outdoors during this phase of bad air quality. The festive season was an important period for many of them to earn their livelihood, TNIE quoted the Bench as saying.