The Delhi government has issued an affidavit to the Supreme Court agreeing to take measures such as a full lockdown to control air pollution in the state capital; however, such measures will be effective if the blockade is only imposed in the areas of the National Capital Region in neighbouring states, added the Delhi government.
The affidavit was presented in the writ petition Aditya Dubey v. Union of India and Others seeking action to control the deterioration in air quality in Delhi. On Saturday, a special court led by the Chief Justice of India expressed deep concern about the situation, calling for immediate action.
Consistent with the proposal of the Supreme Court, the Delhi National Capital Territory government said in an affidavit:
“GNCTD stands ready to take measures such as a full lockdown to control local emissions.
However, such a move would be significant if implemented in NCR areas in neighbouring countries. Given the compact size of Delhi, a blockade would have limited effects on the air quality regime. This issue should be addressed at the catchment area level with NCR areas ready to consider this move if the same applies to all NCR areas from the Government of India or the Air Quality Management Commission in the National Capital and Contiguous Areas region.”
