New Delhi, Dec. 15 -- From November to January each year, the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) becomes Delhi's weapon to clean the air. This sets a bad precedent across India because other cities imagine it to be a useful tool. It also causes irreversible harm to the health of the people in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and the economy per se, because policymakers lean on it as a magic wand, only for it to fail. The question that needs to be asked is why we need Grap-1, 2, 3 or 4 at all. When it was triggered in 2016, Grap was meant to be used as an emergency measure, while systemic fixes were rolled out to clean the air. It was always a stopgap arrangement, not a solution. We should solve the problem with the goal of not needing Grap at all in the coming years. Till then, we also need to take a fresh look at Grap itself. The last nine years with Grap makes one thing clear: The wealthy will not put themselves through any pain to reduce air pollution. They have air purifiers. They also have social gatherings, golf, tennis, and more. They will drive to these, jeopardising the lives of the thousands who serve them. All institutions must be banned from allowing sports after Grap-1; and a social lockdown needs to be implemented after Grap 2. All diesel vehicles must be banned in all Grap stages, and a tax must be imposed on them as well. Many might feel this is extreme governance, believing that "people won't listen". They will if the government is very strict. Meanwhile, we must clean up the landscape-level air pollution....