Delhi's air quality plunges to 'very poor' category; parking fee may be hiked to discourage pvt transport

Delhi's air quality has deteriorated to the 'very poor' category, with the AQI at 302, as per the latest data from weather tracking organisation SAFAR-India. Air quality around Delhi University was in the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 330, in the same category around the Airport (T3) with an AQI of 313.

On Saturday, the Centre's air quality panel directed authorities in the National Capital Region to increase parking fees to discourage private transport and enhance the services of CNG or electric buses and metro trains.

The action came as part of 'Stage II' of the central government's pollution control plan known as the 'Graded Response Action Plan' (GRAP), which is implemented in the Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season.

At a meeting to review the air quality situation in the Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for proactively implementing GRAP, said forecasts suggest Delhi's overall air quality is likely to dip and enter the 'very poor' category on October 23 and 24 due to unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices and sought action-taken reports from several authorities, including the Delhi chief secretary, Union environment ministry, and MCD over deteriorating air quality in the national capital. The notices were issued during a hearing where the tribunal had initiated suo motu proceedings based on reports on the deterioration in Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) and violations of the GRAP.

A bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said despite action taken by the authorities, the problem of air pollution is aggravating in Delhi and the residents are facing various health problems due to it.