Delhi's air remains toxic, SC flags failure to curb entry of trucks

SC appoints 13 SC lawyers as commissioners to inspect the 113 entry points

- AIMAN FATIMA

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed deep dissatisfaction over the Delhi government's failure to enforce critical anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4). The measures, which include restrictions on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods, were mandated to combat the deteriorating air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR).

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih directed the immediate establishment of check posts at all 113 entry points to Delhi. Alarmingly, only 13 of these points were manned, allowing unchecked entry of vehicles, a significant source of pollution.

Observing a marginal decline in air quality but a lack of effective enforcement, the apex court scheduled a review of the GRAP-4 restrictions for November 25. These stringent curbs were imposed after Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the hazardous 450 mark earlier this week.