Supreme Court on pollution: NCR states on 48-hour notice – ET HealthWorld


Supreme Court on pollution: NCR states on 48-hour notice
NEW DELHI: Shifting focus of anti-air pollution drive to the states, the Supreme Court on Monday gave a 48-hour ultimatum to Delhi, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Punjab to execute directions of the Commission on Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region. It said failure to do so will force the court to set up an implementation force.

The direction came from a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant after SG Tushar Mehta said that the commission, comprising officials from the five states and the Centre, had in September directed the states to take measures in anticipation of rise in pollution.

Many of the directions are either partly complied with or not complied with,” Mehta said.

The bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said, “Meetings are happening. Directions are passed. Our directions are also being passed on to the states. But, nothing is happening at the ground level. The pollution keeps increasing and it is hovering at a ‘severe’ level in Delhi.” The SC sought answers from Delhi and the four NCR states to specify within 48 hours what steps they have taken to implement all the directions issued by the court, the commission and the Union government. It posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday and asked the state to file affidavits by Wednesday evening.

Mehta said a significant cause for air pollution in the NCR are the polluting industries. The Commission had on August 12 directed Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to ensure that industries operating in NCR districts shift to PNG/cleaner fuels, he said, adding that the direction has been either partly complied with or still remains to be implemented. The SC sought the status of implementation of this direction from all states.

The SG said the Commission’s direction to the states to closely and regularly monitor the industries, which already have gas supply available to them, and ensure their switching to cleaner fuel is still to be fully complied with.

Apart from these two directions, the SC also sought answers from the state governments on the implementation of its direction on the ban on use of diesel generator (DG) sets, except as backup for emergency purposes (the SG said many DG sets were found running on surprise inspection at malls and commercial establishments in NCR); status of implementation of the direction of impounding petrol/diesel vehicles, which are more than 15/10 years old and still found plying in the NCR; and the steps taken on ground by the states for prevention of dust pollution, control and suppression of dust particulates permeating the air from roads and from open areas along the right of way.

Further, the Court sought replies on the status on the checks and action taken on visibly polluting vehicles and vehicles without valid PUC; steps taken by states for dust mitigation measures in construction and demolition sites, C&D waste management as per the rules and directions related to transportation of C&D materials; and steps taken by states for registration of construction projects on the Web Portals for remote monitoring by enforcement agencies and self-certification of compliance of rules related to C&D activities by the project proponents.





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