The Supreme Court will hear today about pollution in Delhi. A decision will be taken on whether the GRAP-IV restrictions will remain in force or be removed. Earlier, in the hearing held on December 2, the Supreme Court had directed to continue the ban till December 5.
The bench said the GRAP-IV restrictions will be relaxed only after seeing a reduction in Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the next three days. The court has imposed GRAP-IV restrictions from November 18.
Delhi's air improved Delhi's air quality, which has been steadily deteriorating since Diwali, improved on Thursday. Delhi's AQI was recorded at 161 at 8 am. It falls in the middle category. However, a layer of fog was also seen due to the growing cold. Earlier, Delhi's AQI was recorded only in the poor, very poor or hazardous category. AQI has dropped to 127 in some areas.
Previous hearings and court statements…
- December 2: Will we see AQI levels again in the next three days? Once the amendment is made, a decision will be taken on lifting the restrictions of GRAP IV. The court asked the chief secretaries of Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and UP governments how many construction workers were paid after GRAP-IV restrictions were implemented. He should appear at the hearing on December 5. The Delhi government said it has ordered an immediate payment of Rs 5,000 to 90,000 construction workers.
- November 25: Commission should state how to open schools again in next couple of days will see AQI level, if there is some improvement then we can consider removing clause 5 and 8 of GRAP IV. The question is whether relaxation of GRAP IV norms is required. Unless the court is satisfied that the AQI is continuing to decline, permission cannot be granted to go to GRAP III or GRAP II. The court also asked what is the status of checking at 113 entry points in Delhi.
- November 22: Govt does nothing on entry ban on trucks, The court said that we are not satisfied with the efforts of the Delhi government. The government has done nothing to stop the entry of trucks. The court further said that why there are only 13 CCTVs at 113 entry points. The Center should deploy police at all these entry points. A legal team should be constituted to see if indeed the entry of vehicles is prohibited. For this we will deploy young lawyers from the Bar Association.
- November 14: Why were precautionary measures not taken before air quality reached the critical range? Amicus Curiae said- CAQM should explain why they did not implement GRAP-III before allowing AQI to deteriorate.
- November 11: No religion supports activities that increase pollution, clean air is a fundamental right, On the violation of the order banning firecrackers during Diwali, the Supreme Court said that no religion supports activities that increase pollution. The Delhi government must decide within two weeks whether the ban on firecrackers should be extended for the whole year. The court said that living in a clean environment is a fundamental right of every citizen under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
