The Supreme Court on Thursday directed that emergency measures under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, to deal with air pollution should continue in Delhi till December 2, Bar and Bench reported.
The 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 includes a ban on trucks entering the region and a temporary halt on construction activities for public projects.
The Supreme Court’s order, however, will not apply to schools. This means that schools in Delhi can operate in hybrid mode, allowing students to attend classes either physically or online.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih also directed the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and the adjoining areas, which enforces GRAP measures, to hold a meeting to decide on easing restrictions.
The bench has been dealing with a matter related to air pollution caused by stubble burning, firecrackers, vehicular emissions, garbage burning and industrial pollution.
On November 17, amid worsening pollution, the air quality panel ordered the implementation of stage 4 of GRAP across the National Capital Region.
A day later, the Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments suspended physical classes for all students, including Classes 10 and 12, in the National Capital Region as air quality levels plummeted to the “severe plus” category.
However, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region on Monday directed schools and other educational institutions in Delhi and the surrounding areas to adopt a hybrid mode – or both physical and online classes – for students up to Class 12.
The direction came hours after the court asked it to decide on the reopening of educational institutions as “some students may be deprived of mid-day meal scheme, or may not have facility of attending online classes or air purifiers at home”.
On Thursday, the average air quality index, or AQI, in Delhi stood at 325 at 5.30 pm, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
An index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality.
As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.
Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”. At these levels, healthy people can experience respiratory illnesses from prolonged exposure to air pollution.
At the hearing on Thursday, the bench noted the “complete failure” of the authorities in stopping the entry of trucks into Delhi as per the restrictions under GRAP, Bar and Bench reported. “Police was nowhere in the picture,” Oka said.
His remarks were based on a report submitted to the court. On November 22, the court appointed 13 lawyers as “advocate commissioners” to examine whether its earlier directives to restrict the entry of trucks from neighbouring areas into the national capital were being properly enforced.
The bench also said that it would continue to hear the matter in order to find a long-term solution to the pollution crisis.
“We must have a machinery in place which can send us 24×7 data of stubble burning,” the court said. ”That is the root problem you see and that is why this problem is arising… and states are very slow in taking action against the farmers.”