Delhi pollution: 11 flights diverted, delayed at airport; SC says GRAP-4 curbs to continue in NCR till further orders

The Supreme Court has ordered all Delhi-NCR governments to ensure strict implementation of GRAP Stage IV rules amid rising air pollution levels. The curbs will remain in place even if air quality index falls below the ‘severe plus’ mark of 450. Authorities have also been asked to take a call on halting physical classes for all students up to Class 12.

All the relevant state authorities have been asked to immediately form monitoring teams and also set up a grievance redressal mechanism to report violations of the step. The Delhi-NCR administrations have been asked to take a call on the steps outlined in GRAP Stage IV and place them before the SC ahead of the next hearing.

"We direct restrictions under stage 4 of GRAP to continue even if AQI level falls below 450," the bench said.

The developments came even as 11 flights were diverted and many others delayed at Delhi airport on Monday morning due to poor visibility. The city and its surrounding areas have been shrouded in dense fog — amplified by bad weather conditions and alarmingly high pollution levels. The India Meteorological Department also issued an orange alert due to the foggy conditions.

Only CAT III trained pilots are allowed to take off or land planes at very low visibility conditions. Both SpiceJet and IndiGo issued travel advisories via social media on Monday morning as several flights were diverted to nearby cities and several routes faced delay.

Dozens of trains have also been affected — including long-distance routes such as the New Delhi-Kochuveli Express, Jammu Sampark Kranti, AP Express, Jammu Rajdhani and Goa Sampark Kranti. Some were delayed by several hours as Indian Railways tackled the low visibility issue.

The Delhi-NCR region began implementing additional restrictions from Monday morning amid worsening air quality. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting on Sunday evening as the AQI crossed into the ‘severe plus’ category. Delhi became the second-most polluted city in the country on Sunday evening with an AQI of 457 by 7:00 pm. The situation has continued to worsen — with the AQI hitting 491 at 2:00 pm on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)