Pre-emptive only in name: Why Grap falls short despite updates

The Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) is set for its fourth overhaul in three years - the latest in a string of rapid-fire revisions since the major 2022 redesign that linked emergency measures to air quality index (AQI) forecasts and made them preemptive.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Yet experts stress that despite the constant tinkering, Grap has repeatedly failed to achieve meaningful impact, largely because its changes arrive late, its implementation is weak, and its central premise - taking action before the air turns toxic - has never been followed.

The latest round of changes, submitted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to the Supreme Court, is expected to be notified next week. Several restrictions currently under Stage 4 may be shifted to Stage 3, and some Stage 3 measures pushed to Stage 2. Among the notable proposals: when Stage 3 is invoked, Delhi-NCR governments must decide whether offices should operate with 50% staff onsite, and staggered timings for all public offices would now begin at Stage 2 instead of Stage 3.

But experts said that repeated revisions mask the larger problem - Grap is implemented only after pollution spikes, not before.