SC lifts Delhi-NCR construction ban

The restrictions were partially eased by the court in Dec.

The Supreme Court on Friday lifted completely the ban on construction and demolition in Delhi-NCR after putting a stop on such activities for over three months.

Revoking its ban of November 4 last year, a Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta concluded that the ban has served its purpose and there has been a significant improvement in air quality.

“The ban has been completely lifted,” confirmed senior advocate Aparajita Singh, an amicus curiae in the case. The ban had however been partially eased on December 9 and the court had allowed incomplete construction activities to resume during the daytime.

Air quality

That decision was based on an affidavit submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board that air quality was less toxic than it was in the previous month.

On November 4, the court was compelled to take a series of stern steps, from a ban on stubble burning to a blanket ban on construction activities and garbage burning, to rescue Delhi from choking on the toxic air quality.

The court had in November ordered that municipal authorities in Delhi and NCR, including zonal commissioners and their deputies, would be personally held responsible for violation of the construction ban. Ordering the construction and demolition activities to be stopped forthwith, the court had held that any person violating the ban would be penalised with ₹1 lakh fine.