The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the states falling in the National Capital Region to constitute teams of officials from police and revenue departments to ensure strict enforcing of the measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat and curb air-pollution in the national capital.

Designating the members of these teams as officers of the top court, a bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih said, “We direct NCR states to constitute the teams of members of police, revenue officials to monitor the implementation of GRAP IV measures. We say this that the members so created in this team will work as officers of this court. They will regularly submit reports of compliance and breaches to the Commission for Air Quality Management so that immediate action be taken by all concerned.”

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The top court direction came in the course of the hearing of the matter for the implementation of the measures to control and curb air pollution in the national capital – the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The court is monitoring the implementation of the measures under different stages of GRAP.

Earlier to deal with the deteriorating air pollution in Delhi at times assuming alarming proportions, the top court had appointed the Court commissioners from among the lawyers to visit different areas to check the enforcing of measures under the GRAP.

Noting some downward trend in the air pollution m the national capital, the Supreme Court on December 12 had eased the restrictions, and permitted the CAQM to continue the Graded Response Action Plan Stage-II restrictions along with measures including water sprinkling, mechanized road sweeping, restricting entry of interstate heavy vehicles in the national capital.

In pursuance to the December 12 hearing, the Delhi government today informed the Court that it has decided to impose a complete ban on firecrackers.

Haryana on the other hand said that it would allow only green crackers, and Rajasthan said it has completely banned firecrackers in its areas falling in the NCR region. However, the Uttar Pradesh government said that they have decided against banning firecrackers completely.

Apparently not happy with the stand taken by Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the bench today said, “For the time being, we direct Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to impose a similar ban which is imposed by Delhi.”

During the December 12 hearing, the Supreme Court had asked the Delhi and the NCR States – Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to take a call on blanket ban on the sale and bursting of fire-crackers throughout the year.