Hans News Service New Delhi

Thesharp increase in vehicular emissions warrant urgent intervention, the Supreme Court has said while directing the governments of Delhi and three neighbouring states to apprise it about the steps taken to prevent the entry and operation of over-age vehicles within the National Capital Region.

The apex court directed the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Police to file detailed responses indicating any further short-term and long-term measures proposed or contemplated to mitigate vehicular emissions and reduce their contribution to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR.

It also directed them to file responses on measures presently in place to identify, monitor and regulate vehicles that do not conform to the prescribed emission standards, including the enforcement of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification requirements.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana asked these authorities to apprise it about the existing regulatory framework and enforcement mechanisms governing the entry and plying of commercial and non-commercial vehicles within Delhi and the NCR, particularly those originating from neighbouring states.

The top court passed the order on November 6 while hearing a suo motu case on curbing air pollution in the NCR.

The bench noted that data presented before it indicated a substantial decline in incidents of stubble burning across Delhi and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan."While this development is certainly laudable, the same data also brings to the fore a converse and equally pressing concern, namely, the sharp increase in issues attributable to vehicular emissions," it said.