PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the ease of conducting business and the livelihoods of construction workers have been adversely impacted by the implementation of stage III of the new Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in Delhi-NCR, which halted construction activity in the region.
This has severely impacted the skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers in the construction sector, who are sitting at home, the industry body said in a statement.
The construction sector has seen a substantial slowdown over the previous two years, but with the government's various reforms, it was anticipated that activity would significantly pick up. However, the strict notification has once again affected the activities in the construction sector, it said.
Amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, CAQM has agreed to adopt actions under Stage III of the GRAP, including a ban on all construction and demolition activities.
However, the industry body added that the air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category despite halting construction activities for three days. Noida recorded an AQI of 406 and slipped from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category.
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry claimed that the CAQM has failed to evaluate research conducted by technical organisations and industry-provided recommendations for the AQI exceeding the limits.
"The stubble burning from the last week of September to November has affected the AQI in the national capital & NCR, and the government should look for alternate means to resolve this issue to avoid any hindrances to businesses," the press statement stated.
The industry body had requested the government to review the clause allowing the use of diesel generator (DG) sets for two hours per day to 60 hours per month or 15 hours per week where PNG infrastructure is available, and to extend the period for implementation.
"Existing DG units cannot be converted to hybrid sets due to a lack of availability of technology and commercially feasible emission control equipment," the statement added.
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