Delhi Government blames Centre, neighbors for pollution; The limits of GRAP 4 have been tightened

Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai has accused the Center and neighboring states of not taking adequate measures to control pollution, despite the progress Punjab has made in the past two years. Suspicions and counter-arguments between the Delhi government and other authorities continue even after the Supreme Court took a strong stand on the matter.

Rai said the center no longer needs to discuss artificial rain as a solution to the capital’s dire smog situation. “The Minister of Environment did not give us time to fix this issue,” he said.

During the meeting, the Delhi government directed the officials to strictly implement the restrictions of Phase 4 of the Global Response Plan (GRAP) and ensure mandatory compliance. Important decisions taken during the meeting included making masks mandatory for class 10 and 12 students. The government will review other actions based on the Supreme Court orders.

On the Odd-Even car schedule, Rai clarified that no decision has been taken yet. He stressed that artificial rain or climate change will be needed to reduce the existing smog problem.

Increasing air pollution remains a major concern as Delhi struggles to breathe clean air amid a blame game between stakeholders.