India
Delhi’s second worst ever flying day, SC says Grap-4 to continue until further orders | India News – Times of India
It also ordered that these restrictions would remain in place until further orders from the court, even if the AQI falls below 401, the threshold for the ‘severe’ category.
The court action took place on a day when Delhi was experiencing a dystopian nightmare with a thick layer of acrid smoke filling the air. The average AQI for the day was 494 at a high of ‘severe-plus’, the worst in eight years and the second worst on record. The 24-hour average AQI reached a maximum of 500 at 5 p.m. at 15 stations and citizens continued to cough and tear up even with brief exposure to the toxic fumes.
The bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustinus George Masih slammed the Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) “wait and see” approach in enforcing Grap measures. It was noted that grade III measures were applied 48 hours after the AQI level exceeded the 400 level, and that corresponding measures should be immediately enforced after the AQI level exceeded the threshold and that the committee should not wait for improvement in the air quality based on the determined results. department forecast. The SC administration also issued a circular in the evening advising everyone, including lawyers and judges, to wear masks.
Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued for closure of all classes in schools and informed the court that the Delhi government was allowing physical classes for classes 10 and 12, claiming that the same number of school buses were plying on the roads to transport them . The court then ordered, “States should immediately take a call to stop physical classes of all standards up to class 12.”
Meanwhile, the UP government told the SC that it had invoked Grap-4 measures from 8 am on Monday.
‘Ensure stricter measures under JOKE IIIIV’
We direct all NCR governments to strictly implement phase 4 of Grap. All states will immediately form teams for monitoring the implementation of the actions required under Phase 4. The NCR and Center governments will have to immediately take recourse to the actions envisaged in clause 6 (which will enable public, municipal and private offices can work at 50% strength and the peace of mind to work from home), 7 (decision on allowing work from home by central government employees) and 8 (closure of educational institutions, non-urgent commercial activities and the use of vehicles odd-even basis etc.) of phase 4 and place the decision on record before the next date,” the bench said.
The bench also directed CAQM to include stricter measures in phases 3 and 4 of Grap, and not leave their implementation to the discretion of the government or local authorities. SC said CAQMs should be preventive and not delay in enforcing measures, after senior advocate Aprajita Singh, assisting the court as amicus curiae, said AQI had violated 400 on November 12 itself but Grap 3 measures after 48 hours were enforced. .
“From the submissions submitted to the bar and from the minutes of the meeting of November 13, 2024, we conclude that the approach of the subcommittee of the committee is contrary to what was observed in paragraph three of the order of the court on October 29. , 2018. The mandate was that EPCA would take preventive steps under Grap. The approach of the committee appears to be that they decided to wait for improvement in the AQI and therefore the implementation of phase 3 and phase 4 was postponed as wrong approach,” the court said.
It also directed the states to create grievance redressal mechanisms to enable the citizens to file complaints regarding violation of actions under phase 4 and ordered them to file an affidavit on compliance with all its guidelines by Thursday and posted the matter for further hearing on November 22.
