The National Green Tribunal on Thursday banned all construction activities till November 14 in Delhi and the National Capital Region in a bid to control the worsening air quality.

Industrial activities and entry of trucks in the city were also banned as the Delhi government and pollution control boards were rapped by a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar for inaction in controlling the situation.

The bench said, “All the construction (structural) activity of any kind in the entire NCR is hereby prohibited and will not be carried on by any person, private or Government Authority in the entire NCR  till the next date of hearing, November 14. However, the internal finishing and interior work (causing no dust whatsoever) where no construction material is used can be carried on.”

“All the industrial activity in NCR of Delhi which releases emission would also not be carried till the next date of hearing, November 14”, the bench added.

It also directed the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana to ensure that no crop residue is burnt and incentives are provided to farmers.

The bench said the labourers engaged at the construction sites would not be affected by the NGT’s orders and would be paid their daily wages.

The green panel imposed a ban on the entry of more than 10-year-old diesel trucks and said that no vehicle from outside or within Delhi will be permitted to transport any kind of construction material.

The bench banned construction and industrial activities causing emissions till November 14, noting flagrant violation of the prescribed limits of PM (particulate matter) 10 and PM 2.5.

The authorities and the civic bodies were also directed to sprinkle water where PM 10 is found to be in excess of 700 micrograms per cubic meter.

As pollution levels have breached the permissible standards by multiple times, the city is experiencing ‘severe’ air quality under a blanket of thick haze.

‘Severe’ air quality has been recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which means that the intensity of pollution has reached the extreme level.

A plea for immediate action was being heard by the tribunal against the worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, stating that it was an ‘environmental emergency’ in the national capital impacting the most the lives of children and senior citizens.

A direction has also been sought through the plea to Delhi and the neighbouring states to file a status report with regard to the steps taken to educate people with regard to waste burning and the pollution caused as a result.