As Delhi’s air quality fell to the’severe-plus’ category this morning, the Supreme Court today chastised authorities for the delay in adopting tight limitations under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat the capital’s terrible air days.
The court also told the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region and the Delhi government that restrictions under Stage 4 of GRAP — implemented after Air Quality Index crosses the 400 mark — must not be relaxed without its permission even if AQI drops below 300.
The bench of Justice AS Oka and Justice AG Masih asked the authorities why GRAP 3 was implemented three days after the AQI crossed the 300 mark. When the Centre’s counsel replied that they were tracking whether the AQI dips, the court said, “Once it reaches, it has to be invoked… how can the applicability of stage 3 be delayed anyhow… how can you wait for three days?”
The court then said, “We are making it very clear that you will not go below Stage 4 without our permission now even if AQI goes below 300, that is the order we are proposing.” The matter will be taken up again later in the day.
CAQM has developed a four-step Graded Action Response Plan to address Delhi’s poor air quality. GRAP 1 is activated when the AQI is in the bad category. Under this category, water is sprinkled on highways on a regular basis, open rubbish burning is prohibited, and the use of diesel generators is restricted. Under GRAP 2, which is used when the AQI exceeds 300, water is sprinkled on roadways on a daily basis, a continuous power supply is provided to avoid the use of generators, parking rates are increased to discourage private transportation, and CNG and electric bus and Metro service is expanded.
GRAP 3, the next tier of restrictions, is imposed when the AQI exceeds 400. Polluting automobiles are outlawed in Delhi and other cities in the National Capital Region, and governments may consider offering online education to elementary kids. GRAP 3 prohibits mining, stone crushing, and construction/demolition operations.
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Source: NDTV
