UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC flags crisis of vehicular emissions in Delhi-NCR

Q1. With reference to the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. Where a direction of the Commission conflicts with an order of a State Pollution Control Board, the Commission's direction prevails.
  2. The Commission's jurisdiction extends to areas of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh adjoining the NCR, and not merely to the NCR itself.
  3. The Commission was constituted by an order of the Supreme Court, and hence only that Court can modify the directions it issues.
  4. The Commission can restrict activities that influence air quality and issue directions that bind the authorities concerned.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. With reference to Bharat Stage (BS) emission norms in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. BS norms regulate only the sulphur content of automotive fuel and do not set limits on tailpipe pollutants such as NOx and particulate matter.
  2. The move to BS-VI required both a change in vehicle technology and the supply of fuel with a lower sulphur content than BS-IV fuel.
  3. Once BS-VI norms took effect in Delhi in April 2018, vehicles registered there under older norms became ineligible to ply in the city.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The rule that diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years cannot ply in the NCR is laid down in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  2. The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 requires the Tribunal to apply the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle while deciding cases.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. With reference to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and air-pollution governance in Delhi-NCR, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. An appeal against an order of the NGT lies directly before the Supreme Court.
  2. Appeals against orders of the Commission for Air Quality Management lie before the NGT.
  3. Because the NGT is a statutory tribunal, a vehicle age limit laid down by it can be enforced by an executive body only after Parliament writes that limit into the Motor Vehicles Act.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Vehicular exhaust contributes to particulate pollution in Delhi throughout the year, and not only during the post-monsoon and winter months.
  2. In winter, temperature inversion and low wind speeds trap pollutants close to the ground over Delhi.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct