Mon Nov 25 11:31:29 UTC 2024: ## Delhi’s Strict Air Pollution Curbs to Remain, Police Face Scrutiny

**New Delhi:** The Supreme Court of India has ruled that stringent vehicular and construction restrictions in Delhi, currently under GRAP 4 (Graded Response Action Plan), will remain in place. While the Air Quality Index (AQI) has improved slightly from “severe+” to “very poor,” the court deemed the improvement insufficient to ease restrictions. A decision on relaxing the curbs will be made at the next hearing on Thursday.

The court sharply criticized the Delhi Police for the inadequate implementation of GRAP 4 restrictions, warning the city’s police commissioner of potential prosecution under the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act. The judges noted a lack of effective checkpoints and insufficient efforts to prevent trucks from entering the city, despite claims of police deployment. The court observed that checkpoints were often established only after the court’s intervention and lacked proper barricading. The court directed CAQM to initiate action against officials for failing to properly implement the curbs.

While the court will maintain the current restrictions, it has delegated the decision on resuming in-person classes in schools to the CAQM, acknowledging the digital divide affecting some students. The CAQM is expected to make a decision by Wednesday.

The court commended 13 court-appointed commissioners for their monitoring efforts and ordered them to continue their work. It further mandated that states utilize labor cess funds to support construction workers affected by the restrictions and directed CAQM to issue directions for the relief of daily wagers. The court also stipulated that restrictions will not be lowered below GRAP 2 until a consistent downward trend in AQI is observed.

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