India, Nov. 11 -- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas on Tuesday imposed restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) Stage-3 as a haze of toxic pollutants shrouded Delhi, and the air quality plummeted to the "severe" category for the first time this season. Delhi's 24-hour rolling average air quality index (AQI) was 421 at 7am, the highest this year.

The Grap Stage-3 restrictions come into effect if the AQI crosses or is expected to cross 400. Private BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar are banned under it. There are also curbs on private construction and demolitions, and restrictions on the use of stone crushers, m...