SC raps Delhi government as nation capital chokes under toxic smog

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its concern over the delay in implementing stricter measures to tackle air pollution in Delhi, as the national capital continued to suffer from choking smog.

In a scathing remark, the Bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih told the counsel for the Delhi government that there was no room for delay in implementing preventive measures under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The court warned that it will not permit scaling down of these measures without its prior permission.

The Bench pointed out that despite the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching alarming levels, the Delhi government had failed to implement stage 4 of GRAP promptly. "The moment the AQI reaches between 300 and 400, stage 4 has to be invoked," the court said. However, the Bench noted that there was a delay in implementing this measure, which is unacceptable.

"We won’t allow scaling down of preventive measures under stage 4 even if AQI goes below 450. Stage 4 will continue till court permits," the Bench cautioned.

On Sunday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had announced stricter pollution control measures for Delhi-NCR under GRAP-4, effective from 8 am on Monday, including a ban on truck entry and a temporary halt on construction at public projects. However, it appears that these measures were delayed in implementation.

The CAQM issued the order as Delhi's AQI worsened, reaching 441 at 4 pm and increasing to 457 by 7 pm due to unfavourable weather conditions. According to the order, no trucks would be allowed into Delhi except for those carrying essential items or using clean fuel (LNG/CNG/BS-VI diesel/electric).

The Supreme Court has scheduled to hear the matter in detail at the end of the day's work.

( Source: Daily Alayaran.com )