The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the Commission for Air Quality Management for what it described as an “unserious” approach towards tackling the air pollution crisis in the National Capital Region, Live Law reported.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the statutory body, formed in 2020 to address pollution in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas, to convene a meeting of experts in two weeks and submit a report on the major causes of the worsening air quality, PTI reported.
The court was hearing a batch of petitions on the poor air quality in the national capital.
Noting that the commission was failing in its duty, the bench criticised it for seeking a two-month adjournment on the temporary closure or relocation of toll plazas at the borders of Delhi to ease traffic congestion.
On December 17, the court had suggested the closure of toll plazas in the National Capital Region.
“Have you been able to identify the causes of pollution?” PTI quoted the bench as asking the statutory body on Tuesday. “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.”
The court noted that expert bodies had varying views about the sources of pollution and their proportions leading to the deterioration in air quality.
In its order, the bench said that several expert institutions, including technical bodies such as the Indian Institute of Technology, had attributed widely varying percentages to the causes of pollution.
The court observed that the air quality in the National Capital Region remained persistently poor, if not aggravated, despite several measures taken over time. It added that it had been compelled to take up the matter intermittently over the years and seek advice from experts.
However, the situation continued to deteriorate, it said.
The bench, referring to another order passed on December 17, said that the commission had been directed to look into long-term remedial measures to tackle air pollution.
The statutory body filed a status note, which the bench said did not “reflect any seriousness on the part of the authority, and is unfortunately silent on most of the issues raised by this court”, Live Law reported.
It also observed that the commission did not appear to be in a hurry to either identify the causes of worsening air quality or to formulate long-term solutions.
The court said that the Commission for Air Quality Management was obligated to bring all relevant domain experts under one umbrella and arrive at a uniform set of causes based on available data, Live Law reported.
The bench said that the report identifying the major causes of pollution, which will be submitted to the court, would be placed in the public domain.
The commission was asked to look into long-term solutions and plan their phased implementation. It also directed the statutory body to consider the matter on the toll plaza in the National Capital Region without being influenced by the stance taken by stakeholders, PTI reported.
Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, vehicular pollution, along with the lighting of firecrackers during Diwali, falling temperatures, decreased wind speeds and emissions from industries and coal-fired plants contribute to the problem.
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