Observing that the CAQM is failing in its duty, the Supreme Court on Tuesday rapped the central pollution watchdog for seeking a two-month adjournment on the issue of temporary closure or relocation of toll plazas at Delhi borders to ease traffic congestion.

A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on major causes of the worsening pollution.

"Have you been able to identify the causes of pollution? During all these days, a lot of material is coming in public domain, experts are writing articles, people are having opinions, they keep on sending to us on mail...

"Heavy vehicles are contributing a large part, so the first question is how do we address that... By holding a meeting on January 2 and telling us that we will come after two months, that is not acceptable to us. The CAQM is failing in its duty," the bench observed.

The top court directed the CAQM to start considering long-term solutions in a phased manner and also consider the toll plaza issue, uninfluenced by the stand taken by various stakeholders.

Car has become a status symbol, and people are saving money to buy four-wheelers after stopping using bicycles, CJI Kant said.

After senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi suggested that a solution to the problem of air pollution can be achieved by cutting down on people owning multiple cars, CJI Kant said, “Car has become a status symbol… People are saving money to buy cars and have stopped using cycles.” During the arguments, Dwivedi said the automobile industry is too powerful.

The CJI said, “The rich people should also sacrifice. Instead of going for high-end vehicles, they should go for good electric vehicles.”

The top court criticised the CAQM for the lack of “seriousness” in its approach, and said that it appears to be in no hurry in either identifying the causes of the worsening air quality index (AQI) or finding long-term solutions.

The bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the CAQM to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on the major causes of the worsening pollution levels.

According to CPCB readings, Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 288, placing it in the 'poor' category.

Several hotspots recorded even higher pollution levels, with Anand Vihar at 343, RK Puram at 324, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 313, Dwarka at 307, Ashok Vihar at 302 and ITO at 286.