Delhi pollution crisis annual affair, required long term planning: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to consider either temporarily closing or relocating the nine toll plazas at borders of the national capital to ease usual massive traffic congestion, in view of air pollution here.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said to effectively tackle the menace of air pollution, which grips the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) every winter, long-term planning was required, saying whatever efforts made so far were a failure, and reducing the AQI from 700 to 366 offered no real satisfaction, as the air quality remains in the hazardous category.

The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, termed the air pollution crisis as an "annual feature" and emphasised on the authorities taking pragmatic and practical solutions to tackle the menace.

"We can satisfy ourselves by saying that instead of 700 (AQI), it has come down to 366 AQI. If that is the satisfaction then it is a different issue…we have to think of a long-term plan. The short-term measures were preventive measures to protect the children, to protect the senior citizens," the bench observed.

The court declined to interfere with the Delhi government's decision to close schools for students from nursery to Class 5, holding that no further tinkering was required as the closure is only for a few days, and next week onwards winter vacations will begin. 

The bench also that the courts cannot act as "super specialists" and sit in judgment over the decisions taken by the experts.

The court issued a slew of directions and asked the NHAI and the MCD to consider either temporarily closing or relocating the nine toll plazas at borders of the national capital to ease usual massive traffic congestion. 

The bench emphasised on effective implementation of existing measures rather than merely framing protocols, which remain not complied with. 

The court asked the MCD to take a decision within one week on whether these toll plazas could be shut temporarily to facilitate smoother traffic flow and reduce vehicular emissions. The bench also considered the impact of pollution-related restrictions on the livelihood of construction workers, who were rendered idle due to curbs. The bench directed the Delhi government to urgently verify construction workers and ensure that financial assistance is directly transferred to their bank accounts.Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing Delhi government, informed the bench that thousands of workers have so far been verified out of nearly 2.5 lakh registered construction workers. Bhati assured the bench that money would be transferred to their accounts directly.

However, the court said, "it should not be that money transferred to workers’ accounts disappears or travels to another account".The bench also asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to strengthen its long-term strategies, including on critical issues such as urban mobility, traffic management, and incentivising farmers to prevent stubble burning. The court fixed the PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta for further direction on January 6, 2026, while saying the matter is to be heard at least twice in a month around the year.