Noting the improved air quality in Delhi, the Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Air Quality Management Commission to relax emergency measures in the second phase under Phase IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
A bench of Justices AS Oka and AG Masih asked the commission to “consider incorporating some additional measures which are part of Phase 3”. It added that “if the AQI goes above 350, as a precautionary measure, phase 3 measures will be implemented immediately.” Also “if the AQI crosses 400 on a given day, phase 4 measures will have to be reintroduced”, the bench said.
Appearing on behalf of the Commission, Additional Attorney General Aishwarya Bhati presented the air quality index (AQI) data from November 18 to December 4 in the court.
“Until November 30, the level was consistently above 300 and it has come below 300 level only in the last 4 days,” the bench said.
The bench said that “it is true that at some stage, the Court will have to leave it to the Commission to decide on the applicability of the steps under GRAP, in view of the facts we have mentioned above, we do. We do not think it would be appropriate to allow the Commission to go below step 2 at this stage.”
The bench added that “perhaps further monitoring is required on the part of this court”.