As air pollution in several parts of Delhi-NCR remains in the “severe” category, the SC urged authorities to think beyond temporary curbs and adopt pragmatic, sustainable solutions.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, December 17: The Supreme Court on Wednesday continued hearing a clutch of matters relating to Delhi’s air pollution crisis, as air quality remained in the “severe” category across several parts of the National Capital Region (NCR).
The court orally observed that the measures taken so far by authorities have been a “total failure” in effectively curbing rising pollution levels in Delhi-NCR. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stressed that any meaningful improvement would require comprehensive, long-term planning rather than ad-hoc responses.
“Let us think of pragmatic and practical solutions to this menace,” the court said, underlining the need for workable and sustained measures to address the crisis.
During the hearing, the bench was informed about congestion caused by toll plazas at Gurgaon, which allegedly leads to hours-long traffic jams and contributes significantly to air pollution. Directing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to cooperate on the issue, the court asked authorities to consider the temporary suspension of nine toll plazas, and to take a decision within one week and place it on record.
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Remarking sharply on the issue, the Chief Justice said, “We do not want the income you generate; you definitely generate a lot of litigation from these tolls. We want to come out with a concrete plan for absolutely no toll plazas till January 31 next year.”
The court also directed the Delhi government to verify construction workers rendered idle due to pollution-related curbs and ensure that financial assistance is transferred directly into their bank accounts. Cautioning against leakages, the bench said the money should not “disappear or travel to another account,” and asked the government to explore the possibility of providing alternative work to affected workers.
Responding to the court, the Delhi government submitted that around 7,000 construction workers have been verified so far out of nearly 2.5 lakh workers affected by the restrictions, and that payments would be transferred to their bank accounts.
On petitions highlighting the inadequacy of recent measures aimed at protecting children—such as school closures or hybrid classes—the court noted that these were temporary policy decisions taken to mitigate health risks. The bench declined to interfere with the Delhi government’s decision, observing that such measures were interim in nature.
“The short-term measures are only to provide temporary protection to children and elderly persons. These are purely interim policy decisions. At best, they can be viewed as an extension of vacations, as schools are anyway scheduled to remain closed for 10 to 15 days during the winter,” the court said.
The observations came as the apex court reviewed the continuing impact of air pollution despite repeated directions issued over the years. The bench, comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi, has been monitoring the situation as deteriorating air quality continues to pose serious public health risks.
The court also flagged the lifestyle choices of the affluent as a key factor undermining pollution-control measures. The Chief Justice observed that well-off sections continue to use large diesel vehicles, generators and other polluting equipment in violation of restrictions, while the poor and working classes bear the brunt of hazardous air and suffer the worst health consequences.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) informed the court that the transport sector accounts for around 41 per cent of Delhi-NCR’s ambient air pollution. Dust and construction activities contribute 21 per cent, industry 19 per cent, power plants 5 per cent, residential activities 3 per cent, and other sources 11 per cent. CAQM added that stubble burning is a seasonal factor limited to a short window each year, while other pollution sources remain constant.
