Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of smog on December 13, 2025, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching a hazardous 397 early morning. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) swiftly invoked Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). "The CAQM GRAP Sub-Committee today has taken the call to invoke all actions as envisaged under Stage-III of extant GRAP - ‘Severe’ Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-450), with immediate effect, in the entire NCR," an official statement confirmed. Stage 3 means strict restrictions. Construction and demolition activities are banned across the NCR. Students up to grade 5 in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar must attend classes via hybrid mode. Also, BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers are banned from plying in these areas. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed 21 monitoring stations in Delhi reported AQI above 400, in the ‘severe’ range. The move comes as a strong response to the growing pollution crisis to protect public health in the national capital region.