(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Supreme Court on Monday suggested the Centre and concerned authorities revisit their action plan to reduce air pollution levels in Delhi NCR and assess whether it has brought any effective changes, ANI reported.

“Why don't you make a revisit to your action plan to see for yourself that have you brought any effective changes? And if you have then are they less than what needed? We think it's important evaluate has any of your action plan has been proved to be effective or ineffective or less efective? Despite your hesitance, confidence, of whether you'd be able achieve effective change, is it not right to revisit action plan? Evaluation of steps you have taken so far”, CJI Kant said.

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Supreme Court asked the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati representing CAQM that apart from stubble-burning, what other factors contribute to the increase in air pollution.

Supreme Court says it's is very easy to put the blame on the section (farmers) who remain unrepresented before us. Sceintific analysis of other factors (apart from stubble-burning behind increasing air-pollution also needs to be considered, the apex court added.

“Stubble-burning was happening as usual. Why could people see blue skies 4-5 years ago? Why couldn't they see now?” SC said.

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Supreme Court has said that it will hear the air pollution matter at least twice every month. It acknowledged that the situation may pacify post the winter season, but in this regard“history will repeat itself”.

Supreme Court had posted the matter to December 10.

Delhi air quality remained“poor”

Delhi's air quality remained in the "poor" category on Monday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 299 at 7 am compared to 279 at 4 pm on Sunday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The national capital has recorded "poor" air quality for the past two days after showing improvement from the "very poor" category on Sunday, when the AQI dipped to 279 from 305 reported on Saturday.

According to CPCB, Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI in the city at 354 as of 7 am, placing it in the "very poor" category.

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Other highly affected areas included Rohini (341), Bawana (339), RK Puram (336), Mundka (330), and Punjabi Bagh (328), all of which continued to experience hazardous air quality.

Meanwhile, the air quality scenario in Delhi-NCR has shown a consistent improvement this year, with the region recording its lowest average AQI for the January-November period in the last eight years, excluding 2020 - the COVID-19 lockdown year, according to data shared on Sunday.

(With inputs from agencies)

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