Delhi Air Pollution: As Delhites stare at soaring AQI, NDMC doubles car parking charges to Rs 40 per hour

Delhi Air Pollution Update: In view of worsening air quality in the national capital, authorities have decided to hike the car parking fees in order to discourage any unnecessary use of vehicles on the roads in Delhi. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which provides a range of civic services including road and footpath maintenance, on Wednesday announced parking charges as high as Rs 40, instead of the Rs 20, in several areas of the city. Now, users will have to pay a fee of Rs 40 per hour for parking their cars in the national capital instead of the usual Rs 20 per hour, according to a notification from the civic body. 

New parking fees for cars, motorcycles, buses, other vehicles under GRAP Stage II; two-wheeler riders to pay Rs 20 per hour instead of Rs 10 per hour 

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of steps aimed at counting air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR). The plan comes into force automatically based on changes in the Air Quality Index (AQI), which aims to capture the quality of air in a particular region. 

Air pollution levels batter Delhiites; AQI crosses 350 mark

File image | Source: PTI

Several areas slid into the severe air quality category as a significant layer of smog blanketed the city on Wednesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 301 mark ('very poor'). 

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) classifies AQI readings between 0 and 50 as 'good', between 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', between 101 and 200 as 'moderate', between 201 and 300 as 'poor', and between 301 and 400 as 'very poor'. 

Beyond 'very poor', the CAQM, which administers a string of activities aimed at controlling air quality, considers readings between 401 and 450 as 'severe' and above 450 as 'severe-plus'.

While the overall AQI averaged in the 'very poor' zone, 'severe' conditions were recorded in a few regions including Jahangirpuri, Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar.

Mercury dips as smog engulfs Delhi

Minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 20.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the historical levels around this time of the year, with humidity at 83 per cent.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), the country's weather office, predicted clear skies for the day with the mercury hovering around 34 degrees Celsius.