The Supreme Court on Monday said it will list for hearing on December 17 a plea concerning the worsening air pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region, as the national capital continued to reel under severe smog.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pamcholi took note of submissions by senior advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae. She pointed out that while several preventive measures and protocols are already in place, the core problem lies in their poor and inconsistent implementation by authorities.
Singh submitted that authorities tend to act only after specific directions are issued by the Supreme Court, despite existing statutory mechanisms and guidelines. “Till this court directs something, the authorities do not comply with the protocols which are already there,” she said.
Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Surya Kant said the matter would be taken up by a three-judge bench on Wednesday. “This is coming up before a three judges bench on Wednesday. It will come up,” he said.
During the hearing, another lawyer referred to an application highlighting health concerns of children, alleging that schools were continuing outdoor sports activities despite earlier directions of the court. The amicus curiae echoed the concern, stating that schools had found “ways and means” to continue such activities and that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was again citing Supreme Court orders in this context.
The Chief Justice observed that the court was conscious of the gravity of the problem and stressed the need for directions that are realistically enforceable. “We know the problem and let us pass orders which can be complied with. There are some directions which can be forcibly imposed. In these urban metropolitan cities people have their own lifestyle. But the poor…,” he remarked, noting that economically weaker sections suffer the most due to pollution.
The amicus also highlighted that daily-wage labourers and the urban poor are the worst affected by deteriorating air quality.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had made it clear that petitions on air pollution cannot be treated as “customary” winter-only matters. The court had decided to monitor the issue twice a month to explore both short-term and long-term solutions to tackle the menace.
Meanwhile, Delhi on Monday recorded an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 498, placing it at the higher end of the ‘severe’ category. Air quality was ‘severe’ at 38 monitoring stations and ‘very poor’ at two others. Jahangirpuri emerged as the most polluted area among the 40 stations, recording an AQI of 498.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0–50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.
On Sunday, Delhi’s AQI had already climbed to 461, marking the city’s most polluted day this winter and the second-worst December air quality day on record, with weak winds and low temperatures trapping pollutants close to the surface.
