GRAP-IV curbs to stay in Delhi-NCR even if AQI falls below 450, says SC

Miffed over the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-National Capital Region, the Apex Court Monday ordered that the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan Stage IV (GRAP-IV) shall continue even if the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi falls below till 450.

A division bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih made it clear that the GRAP-IV shall continue till further orders from the top court.

The Bench also lamented the "wrong approach" adopted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for causing delay in implementing GRAP stages III and IV.


The Bench observed that the Commission's approach of waiting for AQI levels to improve before acting contravened the Court's 2018 order, which mandated "pre-emptive" measures than waiting for the air quality to worsen.