SC laments air pollution in Delhi, directs 5 states to file affidavits on remedial efforts
New Delhi (PTI): Noting that air pollution persists in the national capital despite several remedial steps having been taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan governments to file affidavits enumerating measures initiated by them to control it.
Observing that until a couple of decades ago this was the best time in Delhi, the court said the city is now marred by worsening air quality and it is difficult to even step outside the house.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice SK Kaul directed the five states to file affidavits within a week.
"The concerned states should file an affidavit setting forth what steps they have taken to redeem the position. We call upon the states of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to file an affidavit within a week," the bench, also comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and P K Mishra, said while posting the matter for further hearing on November 7.
The top court also directed the CAQM to submit in a tabular form the result of the relevant period when the problem started and the current ground situation, including parameters like the Air Quality Index (AQI) and the number of incidents of farm fires.
The bench said crop burning is one of the main reasons for air pollution in Delhi.
The top court had earlier sought a report from the CAQM on steps being taken to control air pollution in and around Delhi.
On October 6, the CAQM had directed government authorities in the National Capital Region to enforce a ban on use of coal in hotels and restaurants and to take punitive measures against polluting industries and thermal power plants as the air quality in Delhi deteriorated.
The directions were issued as part of the pollution control plan known as 'Graded Response Action Plan' (GRAP) which is implemented in Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season.
The CAQM is an autonomous body tasked with improving the air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas.
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Rupee strengthens past 90/USD level in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.
Forex traders said the gain in the USD/INR pair follows the rupee’s string of record lows in recent weeks on likely intervention from the Reserve Bank of India.
Moreover, crude oil prices hovering around USD 59 per barrel level supported market sentiment.
ALSO READ:Rupee trades in narrow range against US dollar in early trade
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.19 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 89.96 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 24 paise over its previous close.
In initial trade it also touched 90.22 against the American currency. On Thursday, the rupee appreciated 18 paise against the US dollar to close at 90.20 against the greenback.
The rupee sank to a fresh record low, breaching the 91-a-dollar mark for the first time on Tuesday.
"Since the speculators are out of the market the buying of US dollar syndrome has come down a bit though intra-day we could see spikes," said Anil Kumar Bhansali Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
The US CPI came lower than expected but was also due to non-collection of sufficient data and therefore, the next month’s CPI becomes more important, Bhansali said, adding that "Rupee remains in a range of 90-90.50".
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.04 per cent higher at 98.46.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading lower by 0.27 per cent at USD 59.66 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex climbed 375.98 points to 84,857.79, while the Nifty was up 110.60 points to 25,934.15.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 595.78 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Thursday said he is not concerned about the rupee at all, arguing that even China and Japan witnessed exchange rate weaknesses during their high growth phases.
Speaking at 'Times Network's India Economic Conclave 2025', Sanyal said since the 90s, the rupee has mostly been allowed to find its own level, but the RBI uses its reserves to intervene in either direction to stop excessive volatility.
"I am not concerned about the rupee at all... Let me say that the rupee and its current weakness should not be necessarily conflated with some economic worry, because historically, if you go over time, you will see that economies that are in their high growth phase very often go through a phase of exchange rate weakness," he said.
