This week a Prime Minister’s Office-backed task force and the National Green Tribunal, the apex green tribunal, both released action plans to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The NGT’s plan was formulated despite a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) already in existence, that was notified by the environment ministry on January 12 after directions issued by the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, SunitaNarain, member of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, a Supreme Court-appointed body that formulated the GRAP and is responsible for implementing it, lashed out at the NGT.

“We have a category called severe plus, which starts when PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels are above 300 and 500 micrograms, respectively, and we have said as soon as you reach it, all the emergency actions come into place,” said SunitaNarain, director general, CSE. “GRAP is more stringent than NGT’s action plan. It complements GRAP in a way, but it is also unnecessary and it will only add to the confusion. NGT could have done much better things with their time.”

As per NGT’s plan, measures such as a ban on construction activities, diesel generator sets, thermal power plants and closure of schools will be enforced in when levels of PM2.5 and PM10 cross 600 and 1000 microgram per cubic metre (ug/m3), respectively, calling the situation an “emergency.”

Under the GRAP an air pollution emergency is to be declared when PM2.5 crosses 300 ug/m3 and PM10 breaches 500 ug/m3. Measures like the odd-even scheme and construction ban are measures associated with this category under GRAP.

Under the NGT plan, the odd-even road rationing scheme is to be implemented when PM2.5 and PM10 range between 400-600 and 700-1000 ug/m3 respectively, a category it defines as ‘critical.”

“CPCB has already created six categories, which refer to different levels of pollution and these are good, satisfactory, moderately polluted, poor, very poor, severe and above severe. GRAP has formulated five categories, i.e., severe+ or emergency, severe, very poor, moderate to poor and moderate. Different states have differently categorised their levels of pollution and there is no uniformity,” the NGT bench led by headed by former chairperson Swatanter Kumar, said.

Narain also criticised the draft action plan laid out by the PMO’s task force this week. “They haven’t laid down any deadlines, they are small steps. This is the Prime Minister’s Office, we expected more,” she said.

While most plans focus on short-term solutions to NCR’s pollution woes, the environment ministry has been goaded by the courts to take the whole country into account.

The environment ministry in a reply to parliament this month said it had a National Clean Air Program but declined to share any details. The ministry is currently in talks with EPCA to finalise a comprehensive action plan to look at long term solutions for air pollution in not just Delhi NCR but the whole country.

“There is already a Comprehensive Action plan for Delhi NCR prepared by EPCA and approved by the Supreme Court, and the environment ministry has also agreed to the recommendations and and is only discussing the timelines,” NandikeshSivalingam, a Greenpeace India activist, said. “ What the environment ministry needs to do is to notify the EPCA action plan as agreed and should put the National Clean Air Program that they have drafted on the public domain for public to comment.”

Last week, the Central Pollution Control Board, the country’s apex pollution regulator which heads another task force, also issued a set of directions to control air pollution in the Delhi during the ASEAN summit in January.

“We don’t have a problem with agencies issuing plans but they should ensure implementing them,” Narain said.