CAQM: From Advice to Enforcement

The basics, how it got permanent status, and what it replaced

• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and Adjoining Areas is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• It was first created by an Ordinance in October 2020. A fresh Ordinance replaced it on 13 April 2021.
• Permanent footing came through the CAQM Act, 2021. It received presidential assent on 12 August 2021.
• CAQM replaced EPCA, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority. EPCA was Supreme Court-appointed and had worked on Delhi’s air since 1998. It had no statutory power to punish anyone.

What “adjoining areas” means, and its real powers

• “Adjoining areas” means parts of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan bordering the NCR, wherever pollution there affects NCR air.
• Unlike EPCA, CAQM has real teeth. It can restrict industries, run random inspections, and order closures. It can even cut a violator’s power or water supply.
• Defying its orders can mean up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine up to ₹1 crore.

A system it inherited, and its inspection sectors

• CAQM runs the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). EPCA first introduced this stage-based response system.
• Its Flying Squads inspect three main sectors: Construction and Demolition (C&D) sites, industrial units, and Diesel Generator (DG) sets.

Who chairs it, who sits on it, and its road-dust rule

• As of 2026, the Commission is chaired by Rajesh Verma, a 1987-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer. He earlier served as Secretary to President Droupadi Murmu.
• Members include ex-officio Chief Secretaries or environment secretaries from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Technical members come from the CPCB, ISRO, and NITI Aayog.
• A “Standard Framework” binds road-owning agencies to cut road dust. It covers full end-to-end paving on redeveloped roads.

The real trap, and a second trap

• EPCA lasted 22 years but could only recommend action. CAQM is much newer, yet it can order closures and impose criminal penalties. This is a case study in advisory versus statutory bodies.
• Do not confuse CAQM with GRAP. GRAP is the stage-based system CAQM runs. CAQM is the enforcer. GRAP is one of its tools.
• CAQM’s reach is wider than Delhi. It covers parts of four neighbouring states, since pollution does not respect a city boundary.

A birth that took three tries

• First came the October 2020 Ordinance. Then a fresh April 2021 Ordinance. Only then the permanent August 2021 Act.
• This slow path shows how contested real enforcement power was.
• CAQM’s work sits alongside other Delhi-NCR efforts, such as vehicle-scrapping incentives. See PARIVARTAN Scheme.

The July 2026 enforcement numbers

• 20 July 2026: CAQM’s Enforcement Task Force held its 135th meeting. It reviewed 1-13 July 2026. Flying Squads made 175 inspections in 14 days: 17 C&D sites, 90 industrial units, and 68 DG sets.
• The Commission proposed closing one project and sealing 19 DG sets. It issued nine compliance orders and imposed Environmental Compensation in four cases.
• It also issued 25 resumption orders: two in Delhi, 11 in Haryana, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Rajasthan.
• As of 20 July 2026, Flying Squads have inspected 27,925 units. They issued 1,803 closure directions and 1,446 resumption orders.

Road dust and tightened rules

• 23 July 2026: CAQM checked road redevelopment in Faridabad and Gurugram. Of 64 stretches, 49 had proper end-to-end paving and 15 did not. It ordered action against officials who gave wrong compliance reports.
• 31 July 2026: Direction No. 98 was amended. NCR industries now have until 1 October 2026 to meet the 50 mg/Nm³ PM standard. CPCB had flagged equipment delays and limited lab capacity.
• 4 August 2026: Statutory Direction No. 86 was amended for dust control at C&D sites under 500 sqm. More Urban Local Bodies can now prosecute gross violators, order closures, and impose Environmental Compensation. They include Manesar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Meerut, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhiwadi, and Neemrana.
• In April-June 2026, agencies inspected 16,195 C&D sites in Delhi. They also checked 909 in Haryana’s NCR districts, 230 in Uttar Pradesh’s, and 160 in Rajasthan’s.

A pre-winter push, and the wider clean-air picture

• 18 September 2026: Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav reviewed Uttar Pradesh’s NCR air action plan with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He asked for geo-tagged road-sweeping machines. He flagged gaps in electric buses and EV charging.
• The review targets the pre-winter window, when Delhi-NCR air worsens fastest.
• Parliament reviewed the National Clean Air Programme, launched in 2019 across 130 cities. It has released ₹16,423.56 crore in incentive grants from FY2019-20 to FY2025-26. See NCAP.
• New Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026, took effect on 1 April 2026. They replace the 2016 Rules and set landfill standards. See Plastic Waste Recycling in India.
• Of 7 legacy waste dumpsites identified in Delhi-NCR, 4 have been fully remediated so far.