Delhi News Live Updates: In its hearing of the Delhi pollution crisis, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and concerning states to make decisions on which industries, vehicles, and power plants can be stopped for the time being to curtail Delhi’s air pollution. It also asked for the reconsideration of the work from home policy.
The Centre told the Supreme Court that stubble burning is not the major cause of pollution in Delhi as it contributes to only 10 percent of the capital’s dirty air. This comes as the Delhi government told the apex court that it is ready to take steps such as “complete lockdown to control local emissions” contributing to the national Capital’s spell of heavily polluted air. The apex court also has blamed the Delhi government for solely focusing on stubble-burning as the cause of pollution in its affidavit.
To deal with the pollution crisis in the capital, the Delhi Traffic Police said it will prosecute all vehicles plying without pollution under control (PUC) certificates. For this, over 550 personnel have been deployed at more than 170 locations such as petrol pumps, pickets, highways. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has also kicked in its winter action plan to tackle dust pollution under its jurisdiction.
In the last 24 hours, Delhi’s air quality improved marginally from the ‘severe’ to the ‘very poor category, with the AQI being recorded at 338. The air quality index of neighboring areas of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, and Noida was recorded at 312, 368, 301, and 357, respectively.
