NCR's air-quality watchdog logs 245 inspections, seals 33 diesel gensets

CAQM's Enforcement Task Force reviewed three weeks of action across the National Capital Region — closures, genset sealings and environmental compensation — in its drive against NCR air pollution.

What happened

• The 132nd meeting of the Enforcement Task Force (ETF) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), held on 5 June 2026, reviewed enforcement, inspections and compliance across the NCR for 11–29 May 2026.
• Over the 19-day window, CAQM's Flying Squads conducted 245 inspections — 31 at construction & demolition (C&D) sites, 74 in industry and 140 on diesel-generator (DG) sets.
• 87 violations were reported (21 C&D, 25 industrial, 41 DG). Action proposed: closure of 11 units/projects, sealing of 33 DG sets, 19 compliance directions, and Environmental Compensation (EC) in 13 cases.
• The ETF also issued 18 resumption orders after verifying compliance — 13 for industrial units and 5 for C&D sites — state-wise: 9 in Uttar Pradesh, 7 in Haryana, 2 in Rajasthan.
• It reviewed road-dust mitigation and noted inspections by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA).
• The review reflects CAQM's continuous, source-wise enforcement (dust, industry, gensets) to manage NCR air quality.

For Prelims

• What CAQM is: the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas — a statutory body created by the CAQM Act, 2021 (Aug 2021) as the overarching authority on NCR air pollution; its directions are binding and override other bodies on air-quality matters.
• It replaced the EPCA: CAQM superseded the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) — a frequently-tested 'who replaced whom' fact.
• Jurisdiction: the NCR plus adjoining areas of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab — pollution doesn't respect State borders, hence a single multi-State commission.
• The three enforcement targets here: construction & demolition (C&D) dust, industrial emissions and diesel-generator (DG) sets — three major NCR pollution sources; Environmental Compensation is the penalty tool.
• GRAP link: CAQM operationalises the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which triggers escalating curbs (on construction, DG sets, vehicles) as AQI worsens — connect this enforcement to GRAP.
• Legal backdrop: air pollution is also governed by the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and enforced via CPCB/State Pollution Control Boards; CAQM coordinates above them for NCR.
• Polluter-pays: Environmental Compensation embodies the polluter-pays principle — a core environmental-law concept worth naming.
• Don't confuse: CAQM (NCR air quality, statutory) is distinct from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) (adjudication) and the CPCB (national monitoring board).

For Mains

Syllabus: GS3.14 · Linkage L2