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NHAI says MCD toll booths adding to Delhi air pollution, Supreme Court asks why not suspend their operations temporarily

The Supreme Court refused to intervene in the Delhi government's decision to suspend physical classes from nursery to Class 5.

3 min readNew DelhiDec 17, 2025 06:07 PM IST

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant also asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider shifting these nine toll plazas at entry points to the national capital to locations that the NHAI can oversee. (Express File Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

During the hearing on air pollution, the Supreme Court Wednesday directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to decide within one week on whether the nine toll plazas it runs could be shut temporarily to facilitate smoother traffic flow and reduce vehicular emissions.

It noted that a portion of the toll collected can be diverted to the municipal corporations to compensate for the perceived loss during the three-month period when the nine toll booths are sought to be suspended.

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This was after the NHAI stated that the toll booths set up by the MCD were causing long queues lasting several hours on the highways, contributing to air pollution.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, refused to intervene in the Delhi government’s decision to suspend physical classes from nursery to Class 5 from December 15, citing the prevailing air pollution in the national capital.

On the closure of schools, the court was told that it would deprive poor children who depend on the mid-day meals scheme. The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, noted that there are multiple views on the matter and that the decision would therefore be better left to policymakers.

The apex court, meanwhile, ended protection for end-of-life (EOL) vehicles in Delhi-NCR with poor emission standards of Bharat Stage (BS) III and below.

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The court issued a new order, based on the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) ‘s recommendation, amending its previous order dated August 12. The previous order extended protection against coercive action to all EOL vehicles in Delhi-NCR.

On August 12, an order was issued pausing enforcement of the Supreme Court’s October 2018 ruling. This ruling upheld a 2014 National Green Tribunal decision prohibiting the use of polluting vehicles that did not meet the updated BS-III and below emission standards to address pollution issues.

The latest order followed a request by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati in the Delhi pollution case to modify the August 12 order.