The Supreme Court on Friday quipped, "hope you all are enjoying weather" while starting the hearing of a suo motu case examining the regulatory framework governing air pollution in Delhi. The bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant, touched upon many aspects of the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and termed vehicular pollution as one of the major contributors to the "severely" polluted air in the national capital and adjoining NCR districts.

Raising concerns over the "bumper-to-bumper" traffic in Delhi-NCR, including Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, a bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said, "Look at the roads in Delhi and the roads connecting Delhi with the NCR. Take a look at any road and the kind of vehicles moving on them. That is the major problem."

"We keep talking, sometimes make statements and suggestions, but the point is that AQI is already touching 400," the CJI said, emphasising the need for immediate, medium and long-term measures to curb the rising air quality index.

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Senior Advocate Flags Severe Pollution

Speaking on stubble burning, the bench said, procurement prices of subble should be made in advance and that gram panchayats should be given proper management systems. They said that farmers need to be educated about using machines instead of them relying oburning stabbles.

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Senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the Supreme Court as amicus curiae, drew attention to the worsening pollution while speaking to the bench. She noted that the air quality is still stuck in the severe category. Pointing to the health dangers, she said breathing this polluted air is like smoking 30 cigarettes a day.

During the hearing, the court also recalled how rainfall had earlier given some temporary relief from the pollution. It expressed hope that stubble burning had stopped now that farmers are preparing for the next sowing season.

Singh told the court that stubble burning makes up about 14 per cent of Delhi’s pollution. She pointed out that the city was already dealing with high pollution levels even without this contribution. She urged that urgent steps be taken to control both stubble-burning and the pollution sources within the city, especially the burning of waste.

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What Did The Apex Court Say?

During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said authorities have tightened checks on vehicles by restricting the movement of certain categories and introducing geo-tagging of PUC certificates. She also highlighted the use of mobile applications and social media platforms to identify and report vehicles releasing excessive smoke.

The court was further informed that farm fires contributed 14 per cent to Delhi's pollution on Thursday.

After hearing the submissions, the bench said it would issue directions in the matter. The case will next be heard on November 16, once the Supreme Court reopens after the Diwali holidays.

Delhi AQI Breaches 400 Mark

Delhi's air quality has dipped to a very severe category ahead of Diwali. The AQI breached the 400 mark at 18 monitoring stations on Thursday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Jahangirpuri recorded worst AQI at 459, followed by IIT Delhi at 447 and Delhi Technological University at 436.

Officials said GRAP restrictions were already in place, while additional curbs may be imposed if the weather conditions deteriorate further. Meanwhile, the pollution crisis has triggered a political face-off between the governments of Delhi and Punjab, with both sides debating the impact of stubble burning on the capital's air quality.


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