Supreme Court Eases GRAP-4 Measures, Allows GRAP-2 Implementation to Combat Pollution in NCR

The Supreme Court on Thursday relaxed the GRAP-4 (Graded Response Action Plan) measures for Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), allowing the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement GRAP-2 measures to manage pollution levels in the region. Following this decision, the Centre’s air quality panel for Delhi-NCR revoked the anti-pollution measures under stages 3 and 4 of GRAP.

The bench, however, instructed that stage 3 curbs would be reinstated if the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the 350 mark, and stage 4 curbs would be applied if the AQI exceeded 400. The court expressed dissatisfaction over the delayed compensation for construction workers adversely affected by the ban on construction activities due to high pollution levels.

The Delhi Chief Secretary faced the threat of contempt proceedings after the government disbursed only Rs 2,000 to each of the 90,000 registered workers, significantly less than the promised Rs 8,000. The Chief Secretary assured the court that the remaining Rs 6,000 would be paid by the following day.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih questioned the delay in full compensation, emphasizing the need for timely payments. “Why? When will you pay the balance amount? They are verified, that is why they were paid Rs 2000? You want workers to starve? We are straightaway issuing contempt notice to you, this is not done. This is a welfare State,” Justice Oka stated, according to the Bar and Bench.

Previously, the Supreme Court had declined to ease the emergency measures under GRAP-4, which included a ban on truck entry and construction work, until there was a “downward trend” in the AQI. The court noted that none of the NCR states—Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh—had complied with its earlier directives regarding compensation for construction workers. The bench also expressed dissatisfaction with the enforcement of GRAP-4 measures, highlighting the ineffective implementation of the ban on truck entry and construction activities.