New Delhi: The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the Delhi-NCR Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has formed an 'enforcement task force' to check compliance with the directive issued in response to the region's deteriorating air quality.
This comes a day after the Supreme Court expressed its severe disapproval with the Centre and states in the National Capital Region's inability to control pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR region.
The Centre stated in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court that it had expanded the number of flying squads in the national capital to 40.
The affidavit further stated that on December 2, 25 inspections were conducted throughout Delhi to check for violations of air pollution standards.
According to the Centre, inspection teams, including police officers, have been deployed at 124 entrance points in Delhi to guarantee that vehicles, other than CNG trucks and those carrying critical goods, are not allowed to enter the capital city.
The Centre has stated that all schools and institutions in the NCR will stay closed until further directives are issued.
According to the affidavit, industrial facilities in the NCR that do not use PNG or cleaner fuels will be permitted to function for just 8 hours per day during the week and would be shuttered on weekends.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the government to adopt corrective steps to combat pollution within 24 hours, failing which it stated it would be obliged to act.
CAQM issued a raft of steps to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR last month, including a ban on building and demolition activities. However, the national capital's air quality has stayed in the 'very poor' category for some time. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was 385 on Friday (SAFAR).