As a thick blanket of smog envelopes Delhi, choking the citizens, the Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to urgently list on November 18, a plea seeking enforcement of measures to check pollution in the national capital after it was told that Delhi should not become the most polluted city in the world.
A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih agreed to listen to the matter after senior advocate Aprajita Singh urged for an urgent hearing after seeing the prevailing situation in Delhi.
“Since yesterday we have been in severe mode. Just to avoid this situation, this court has asked them to take preemptive action. They have not done anything. We should not become the most polluted city in the world,” Singh told the bench.
Singh has further said that she has asked the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) and shall explain what steps are being taken. The bench has said that it will list the matter on November 18.
AQI Falls in the ‘Severe’ Category
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s Air Quality Index at 9 am on Thursday was 428, which falls in the ‘severe’ category.
“Of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 32 recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ category, with readings above 400. These stations include Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, IGI Airport, ITO, Mandir Marg, North Campus, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, and Pusa among others,” an official said.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was 466 (‘severe plus’) at 10am on Thursday.
