All schools in Delhi will remain closed for a week beginning Monday as part of steps announced to tackle air pollution in the Capital. All construction activity has been prohibited and Government employees will work from home. Private offices too have been advised to follow suit.
This follows an emergency meeting convened by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday to assess the impact of air pollution.
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Earlier in the morning, a Special Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, assembled to urge the Centre and the Delhi Government to take “emergency measures”, even proposing a two-day lockdown, to bring air quality back to normal in a capital choked by pollution.
The Delhi Government, Mr. Kejriwal’s office said, would prepare a proposal on imposing a lockdown till the situation improved and would submit it to the court.
“Do you know how bad the situation is? People have to wear masks even at home... Think of a two-day lockdown... Reports said air is 'severe' in Delhi and may become worse in another two or three days... You have to take immediate measures... ,” CJI Ramana addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
Mr. Mehta acknowledged that “there was a possibility that the air would go from 'severe’ to ‘emergency’ category. He said a meeting has been scheduled to decide the “emergency response”.
“Schools have been opened now. Little children are out on the roads to reach their schools. You are exposing little children to pollution, pandemic and dengue...” Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, on the Bench, addressed the government.
The Delhi government told the court that pollution markers are off the chart. The AQI has worsened by 471 points compared to just 84 points on October 30. PM10 is a whopping 593 to 87 last month. PM2.5 is 399 points to merely 34 last month.
“"And you have opened up all the schools in Delhi, you have exposed their lives and lungs to grave pollutants... Schools are Delhi’s jurisdiction...” Justice Chandrachud told senior advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for Delhi.
Mr. Mehra compared the air to smoking 20 cigarettes a day even though “we are not smokers”. He said stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana was a major contributor to the pollution.
Mr. Mehta also began his submissions by saying there was a “spurt of stubble burning from Punjab in the last five to six days”.
“You first control Delhi... Are your [smog] towers working?” the CJI asked the Delhi government.
“Everybody blames farmers. What about the ban on fire crackers? What has been happening for the past five or six days? What is the Delhi Police doing? This is an emergency situation, emergency measures have to be taken,” Justice Surya Kant, also on the Bench, lashed out.
