Delhi’s air quality plunged into the ‘severe-plus’ category this morning, prompting the Supreme Court to take strong action against the delay in enforcing strict measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat the city’s worsening air pollution.
The court expressed its displeasure with the authorities, specifically the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Delhi government, over the slow response to air quality issues. The bench, comprising Justice AS Oka and Justice AG Masih, emphasized that once the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses the 400-mark, as it did today, restrictions under Stage 4 of GRAP must be implemented without delay and cannot be relaxed, even if the AQI drops below 300.
The court questioned why Stage 3 of GRAP had not been enforced three days ago when the AQI first crossed the 300 mark. The Centre’s counsel explained that they were monitoring whether the AQI would improve, but the court rejected this approach, stating, “Once it reaches a certain level, it must be invoked immediately. How can you wait for three days?”
Currently, Stage 4 of GRAP is in effect due to the AQI crossing 450. Under these measures, commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi are banned from entering the capital unless they meet specific criteria, such as being electric, CNG-powered, or compliant with BS-VI emission norms. Additionally, authorities have the power to consider suspending physical classes for senior students to reduce exposure to hazardous air.
The court’s intervention has underscored the urgent need for swift action to mitigate Delhi’s air pollution crisis, which has reached alarming levels in recent days.
এনেধৰণৰ অন্যান্য বা-বাতৰিৰ বাবে লাইক কৰক অসম লাইভ ২৪ ৰ ফেচবুক পেজ
