Air pollution in Delhi | Photo Credit: AP

New Delhi: The ban on entry of trucks in the national capital has been removed following improvement in air quality.

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The order was passed by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) on Thursday.

Ban on construction works in Delhi has also been withdrawn, while the four-time hike in parking fees has also been done away with.

The development came as air quality remained outside the 'severe plus' category in the capital.

The EPCA, a Supreme Court-appointed panel, had said yesterday that it may lift all the measures enforced under the 'severe plus' or emergency category of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) if pollution remains under control.

The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was 361 on Wednesday, which falls in the 'very poor' category, showing a marginal dip as compared to Tuesday when it was 308, the best in a week.

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Meanwhile, in a major move, the Central government has decided to prepone the introduction of ultra-clean Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel in Delhi by two years to April 2018 to help fight air pollution.

On Wednesday, the hourly-graph of the Central Control Room for Air Quality Management, which tracks the levels of PM2.5 and PM10, also captured the declining trend. PM2.5 and PM10 concentration was recorded as 198 and 307 microgrammes per cubic metre at 7 pm.

The corresponding 24-hour safe standards are 60 and 100. Pollution is considered severe plus or emergency when these readings are above 300 and 500 respectively.

According to the Centre-run monitoring agency SAFAR (System of Air Quality And Weather Forecasting And Research), air quality is improving as strong surface winds is aiding pumping out accumulated pollutants.

However, it said there might be a dip in quality and the AQI may settle in the upper side of 'very poor' from November 17 due to meteorological conditions including a fall in temperature and entry of moisture.

"But as the speed of wind in the upper layer of the atmosphere is low, possibility of incursion of pollutants from external sources such as stubble burning is very less," a SAFAR scientist said.

(With PTI inputs)