The Supreme Court has given permission to end the restrictions imposed under GRAP-4 in Delhi-NCR. This decision was taken when the Air Quality Index (AQI) improved. The court has clarified that if the AQI goes above the level of 350, then the Air Quality Management Commission will have to immediately implement GRAP-3, and if the level goes beyond 400, then GRAP-4 will be implemented immediately.
The Supreme Court also said that at present Grape-2 can be implemented with some additional restrictions, while the level below Grape-2 is not allowed to be implemented. During the hearing chaired by Justice AS Oka, the court gave a strict warning to Delhi Chief Secretary Dharmendra for not paying compensation to construction workers in Grape-4 situation. Expressing its displeasure, the court said that the state government is bent on starving the construction workers.
Advocate Shadar Farasat, appearing on behalf of the Delhi government, said that registered construction workers have been given assistance of two thousand rupees each. On this, the court raised the question that why does the bureaucracy feel the need to do so much verification. The court also said that construction workers should have received at least six thousand rupees more, so that they can fulfill their basic needs.
On December 2, the Supreme Court had issued an order to maintain the restrictions imposed under GRAP-4. The court had indicated that they would constantly monitor the AQI levels to ensure whether the air quality is improving or not.
This decision has clarified the relationship between construction workers and air quality management, and emphasized that human rights must be protected along with environmental protection. This decision of the court has given guidelines to the local administration so that they can be cautious in their work.