NEW DELHI: Acknowledging that the enormous amount of judicial time spent over the years to tackle pollution in Delhi had yielded only marginal benefits, Supreme Court Friday said when more and more restrictions, without scientific basis, were put in place, people tended to violate them with a vengeance, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra.Reflecting on numerous orders and subsequent monitoring of their implementation to improve air quality, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said, "To think we can achieve air quality of less than 100 (AQI) in Delhi during winters is utopian when 'very poor' and 'severe' have become the new normal."When amicus curiae and senior advocate Aparajita Singh flagged news reports on normal crackers being sold as green crackers and attributed part of the rising pollution to it, the ben-ch said the capital was witnessing bumper-to-bumper traf-fic for the last few days and wi-th so many cars remaining on the road for so many extra hours, it must be adding to the pollution load.Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati attributed the traffic congestion to the…
SC says public awareness, not curbs alone, can help curb pollution
In short
The Supreme Court noted that targeting an Air Quality Index below 100 during winter is unrealistic given that severe pollution has become routine. The bench heard that local vehicles remain Delhi's primary pollution source, exacerbated by festive gift-distribution traffic and standard firecrackers being improperly sold as green alternatives. Regional wind patterns, geography, and farm fires in Punjab and Haryana continue to tip the scales despite recent burning declines. To counter these systemic issues, the Commission on Air Quality Management has activated the Graded Response Action Plan with measures such as construction bans and staggered work hours.
Key points
- Piling on restrictions without a scientific basis encourages public non-compliance, requi…: Piling on restrictions without a scientific basis encourages public non-compliance, requiring local councillors to actively educate communities instead.
- Local vehicular emissions remain the capital's main pollution driver, which worsens signi…: Local vehicular emissions remain the capital's main pollution driver, which worsens significantly under festive-season congestion and seasonal meteorological factors.
- The Commission on Air Quality Management is enforcing measures including staggered office…: The Commission on Air Quality Management is enforcing measures including staggered office hours, vehicle restrictions, and construction bans under the Graded Response Action Plan.