NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday extended the stringent measures under GRAP-4 (Graded Response Action Plan) to combat the pollution levels in the National Capital Region (NCR) until Thursday, December 5.
The court refused to ease the restrictions, saying that any relaxation would only be considered if there is a “downward trend” in pollution levels.
Expressing dissatisfaction, the court noted that GRAP-4 measures, including the ban on truck entry and construction activities, were not being enforced effectively.
“There is hardly any implementation of stage 4 of GRAP to deal with air pollution in the national capital,” remarked the bench, questioning the Delhi government on the number of officers deployed by it to implement the restrictions.
Highlighting a “complete lack of coordination” among the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and other entities, the court held the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) responsible for harmonising their activities to enforce measures under GRAP-4.
The Supreme Court noted none of the NCR states-Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and UP -complied with its direction to pay compensation to construction workers and directed the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to appear virtually on December 5 to account for the implementation of the anti-pollution measures.
Additionally, the Delhi government has been tasked with investigating allegations of non-compliance with GRAP restrictions.
Delhi’s air quality showed slight improvement for the second consecutive day on Monday, moving from the ‘very poor’ to the ‘poor’ category. The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 273 in the morning, compared to a 24-hour average AQI of 285 on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This improvement comes after 32 consecutive days of ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ air quality, during which AQI levels consistently exceeded 400.
