Delhi pollution: Supreme Court asks air quality panel to consider restarting physical classes in schools, colleges

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region and adjoining areas to consider restarting physical classes in schools and colleges noting many students lacked mid-day meals and infrastructure to attend online classes.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih said a large number of students did not have air purifiers at home and therefore there may not be a difference between children at home and those attending schools.

The top court, however, refused to relax the anti-pollution GRAP-4 restrictions in Delhi-NCR and said unless it was satisfied that there was consistent decrease in AQI levels, it cannot order curbs below GRAP-3 or GRAP-2.

Noting that several sections of society, especially labourers and daily wagers, were adversely affected due to GRAP-4, the bench directed the state governments, where construction has been banned, to use funds collected as labour cess for subsistence to them.

GRAP-4 restrictions specifically relate to restricting entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into the national capital.

First implemented in 2017, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.