Air pollution: SC asks NHAI, MCD to consider shifting or closing 9 toll plazas at Delhi borders
New Delhi (PTI): Taking a serious note of the severe air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a slew of directions and asked the NHAI and the MCD to consider either temporary closing or relocating the nine toll plazas at borders of the national capital to ease usual massive traffic congestion.
The top court described the pollution crisis as an "annual feature" and called for pragmatic and practical solutions to tackle the menace.
It, however, refused to interfere with the Delhi government's decision to close schools for students from nursery to Class 5, holding that no further tinkering was required as the winter break was already approaching.
In an effort to ease vehicular congestion at Delhi's borders, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to consider shifting or temporarily closing nine toll plazas located at entry points to the capital.
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The MCD was specifically directed to take a decision within one week on whether these toll plazas could be shut temporarily to facilitate smoother traffic flow and reduce vehicular emissions.
The bench underscored the need for effective implementation of existing measures rather than merely framing protocols that remain not complied with.
"Let us think of pragmatic and practical solutions of the menace," the Chief Justice remarked, noting that while preventive mechanisms exist, their enforcement has been consistently weak.
Taking note of the impact of pollution-related restrictions on livelihood, the bench directed the Delhi government to urgently verify construction workers rendered idle due to curbs and ensure that financial assistance is directly transferred to their bank accounts.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Delhi government, informed the bench that around 7,000 workers have so far been verified out of nearly 2.5 lakh registered construction workers, and assured that money would be transferred to their accounts directly.
However, the bench cautioned against any leakages in the process, observing that "it should not be that money transferred to workers’ accounts disappears or travels to another account".
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It also asked the Delhi government to consider providing alternative work to construction workers who are unable to earn due to restrictions imposed to curb pollution.
Observing that air pollution has become a recurring phenomenon every winter, the bench directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to revisit and strengthen its long-term strategies.
It also asked CAQM and NCR governments to examine critical issues such as urban mobility, traffic management, and incentivising farmers to prevent stubble burning, stressing that piecemeal approaches would not resolve the crisis.
The bench has now listed the PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta for further direction on January 6 and reiterated that this plea has to be heard at least twice in a month around the year.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
