GRAP Stage 4 to continue in Delhi till air quality index shows ‘consistent downward trend’: SC
The court noted the failure of all National Capital Region states to compensate labourers whose livelihoods were affected by a ban on construction work.
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The Supreme Court on Monday refused to relax the implementation of emergency measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, until Delhi’s air quality index shows a “downward trend”, Live Law reported.
A downward trend, or declining index value, would indicate consistent, daily improvements in the capital’s air quality.
GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent the worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the National Capital Region. Stage 4 of GRAP includes a ban on trucks entering the region and halting construction activities for public and private projects.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih on Monday said that it would take a call on relaxing the restrictions, which are enforced by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region, on Thursday after taking into account any improvement or deterioration in capital’s air quality.
The bench has been dealing with a matter related to air pollution caused by stubble burning, firecrackers, vehicular emissions, garbage burning and industrial pollution in Delhi and surrounding areas.
On November 17, amid worsening pollution, the air quality panel ordered the implementation of Stage 4 of GRAP across the National Capital Region.
On Monday, the average air quality index, or AQI, in...
