New Delhi: Taking serious note of worsening air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a series of directions, asking the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to consider temporarily closing or relocating nine toll plazas at the capital’s borders to ease chronic traffic congestion and reduce vehicular emissions.

Describing the pollution crisis as an “annual feature”, the court called for “pragmatic and practical solutions” and modified its interim order of 12 August, permitting authorities to take coercive action against older vehicles that do not meet Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) emission standards.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi directed the MCD to take a decision within one week on whether the nine toll plazas could be suspended temporarily. The court also asked the NHAI to explore the possibility of shifting the toll booths to locations it could manage, with a portion of the toll revenue diverted to the MCD to offset any temporary loss.

“We have also asked the NHAI to consider the possibility of shifting the nine toll collection booths of the MCD in Delhi at such locations which can be manned by NHAI and the part of the toll collected by it can be diverted to the MCD to compensate for the perceived temporary loss,” the court said.

“Meanwhile the MCD is directed to cooperate on the issue and consider for nine toll plazas to be suspended for a temporary period. Such a decision shall be taken within one week and be placed on record,” the Chief Justice added.

During the hearing, the bench was told that MCD-operated toll plazas, including one at the Gurugram border, were causing hours-long traffic snarls. Questioning the insistence on toll collection despite congestion, the Chief Justice remarked: “Why can’t the officials say that till January there will be no toll plaza?” He added that while tolls may generate revenue, they also give rise to litigation.

The court suggested that the MCD come up with a “concrete plan” and consider declaring “absolutely no toll plaza till January 31 next year”, rejecting claims that there was no congestion at the borders. “These are true. Every day people are experiencing this,” the bench said.

The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Delhi government’s decision to suspend physical classes for students from nursery to Class 5 from 15 December, noting that the closure was temporary and the winter break was set to begin shortly. “Hence, there is no need for this court to intervene,” the bench observed.

Stressing that enforcement was as important as policy-making, the court said authorities should focus on effective implementation rather than framing protocols that are not followed. “Let us think of pragmatic and practical solutions of the menace,” the Chief Justice said.

Taking note of the impact of pollution-related restrictions on livelihoods, the bench directed the Delhi government to urgently verify construction workers rendered jobless due to curbs and ensure financial assistance is transferred directly to their bank accounts. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that around 7,000 workers had been verified so far out of nearly 2.5 lakh registered workers.

Cautioning against leakages, the bench said, “It should not be that money transferred to workers’ accounts disappears or travels to another account.” It also asked the Delhi government to explore alternative work for those affected by construction bans.

Observing that air pollution has become a recurring winter phenomenon, the court directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to revisit and strengthen its long-term strategy. It asked the CAQM and NCR governments to address key issues such as urban mobility, traffic management and incentives for farmers to curb stubble burning, warning that piecemeal measures would not resolve the crisis.

(PTI)