The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has decided to ease restrictions under Stage-III and IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR, allowing individuals with disabilities (PwDs) to continue driving their personally adapted vehicles, even if they are BS-IV diesel or BS-III petrol cars, solely for their personal use.
Notably, CAQM has put a ban on BS-IV diesel or BS-III petrol cars in the area due to pollution concerns.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that GRAP Stage IV measures, currently in force to tackle the severe air quality in Delhi, will continue to remain in operation except in schools till December 2.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said that in the meantime, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) will hold a meeting to decide on easing the GRAP restrictions.
“We make it clear that all GRAP IV measures except the measures which are modified in respect of the schools will continue to operate till Monday. In the meantime, the Commission will hold a meeting and come out with a suggestion about moving from GRAP IV to GRAP III or GRAP II. We also make it clear that it is not necessary that all measures which are provided in GRAP IV should be dispensed with. There can be a combination of measures in GRAP III and GRAP II,” the bench ordered.
While hearing the air pollution case, the Supreme Court took note of a news report that stubble burning was being allowed by officials in Punjab after 4 pm to avoid satellite detection and says that if the report is correct it is serious.
The bench said state authorities cannot advise farmers to take advantage of the fact that at present activities are being detected that take place during few hours of the day and asked the Punjab government to immediately advise all officers to not indulge in such actions.
“We are not on the correctness of this news but if it is correct it is very serious,” said the bench.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court observed that there was a complete failure to stop the entry of trucks to Delhi in accordance with the restrictions in place under the GRAP Stage IV.
“There is a complete failure. Police were nowhere in the picture. The trucks were allowed to enter the territory and no way to go back,” said the bench while perusing a report submitted to it.
As per the GRAP-IV restrictions imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the entry of trucks is prohibited to Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution. The Supreme Court was hearing the case relating to the pollution in Delhi-NCR.
