SC rebukes AAP govt over Delhi pollution
A hearing on Delhi pollution was held in the Supreme Court on Friday. The court expressed dissatisfaction with the Delhi government during the hearing. The court said it is difficult to believe the claims of the Delhi government. During the hearing, the court also asked to consider Grape-4 restrictions imposed in Delhi due to pollution.
The court said it will consider on November 25 whether the Grape-4 restrictions implemented to control pollution in Delhi-NCR should be relaxed or not. Justice Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih expressed displeasure over the restrictions imposed under GRP-4, especially the decision to stop entry of non-essential trucks into Delhi, which have not been properly implemented.
What is grape?
The Graded Response Action Plan was first implemented in 2017. It outlines a phased plan to take action according to the severity of air pollution in Delhi-NCR. According to GRAP, air quality is divided into four categories, which are poor (AQI 201-300), very poor (AQI 301-400), severe (AQI 401-450) and extremely severe (AQI greater than 450).
Appointment of the Court Commissioner
The court appointed 13 lawyers as judicial commissioners to investigate the truck ban situation at various entry points of Delhi. The Delhi government said that of 113 entry points, 13 are for trucks only. The Supreme Court directed the Center and the Delhi Police to set up check posts at all entry points.
Questions raised about Grape-4
In the hearing, Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said that the pollution level has come down in two days and the AQI now belongs to the Group 2 category. On Friday, Delhi’s AQI was recorded at 373, very bad. Describing the social and economic impacts of Grape-4 as serious, the Supreme Court raised questions over the delay and poor implementation of stringent measures by the Delhi government.
