With the air quality in Delhi dropping to alarming levels for the third straight day, the National Green Tribunal on Thursday pulled up the Delhi government, the city’s municipal corporations and governments in neighbouring states for “playing” with the lives of people.
“It is shameful for all the parties in this matter on what they’re passing on to the next generation,” the NGT observed.
Questioning the seriousness of the neighbouring states of Delhi in tackling pollution, NGT said even construction work hasn’t stopped despite its earlier order.
“Even construction work taking place openly isn’t being stopped, and when such a situation has ensued now action is being promised,” it said.
Saying that curbing pollution is a joint responsibility of all stakeholders, NGT said that people are being denied their Right to Life.
“All the constitutional authorities and statutory bodies measurably failed to perform their duties. So far pollution is the concern, it is a joint responsibility of all the stakeholders.
“Articles 21 & 48 of the Constitution mandate that it is the responsibility of governments to make sure that citizens get a clean and conducive environment. Right to life is being snatched from people since they’re not getting a clean environment,” it said.
Citing a report by the Central Pollution Control Board, the NGT said PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels have been alarmingly high in the past week.
“CPCB’s report has shown the extent of danger lurking in the air in Delhi NCR. Yesterday PM 10 levels, supposed to be 100, had touched 986, while the PM 2.5 levels, supposed to be 60, had reached 420. This has been the situation since the past week,” it said.
The green body also questioned Delhi government on the steps it had taken to control pollution and the number of challans it issued to violators, and the number of construction sites where work has been stopped. It also enquired why helicopters weren’t being used to sprinkle water.
It ordered industries to stop work in Delhi till the next hearing and directed the government to depute personnel to monitor activities causing pollution.
It also called for a ban on trucks carrying construction material in Delhi NCR and asked the government to prohibit the entry of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court asked the Kejriwal government to consider implementing “odd-even vehicle movement scheme” as a short-term measure.
It also directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change secretary to hold an emergency meeting on pollution with chief secretaries of NCR states and pollution control agencies within three days.
On Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought a meeting with his Punjab counterpart Capt Amarinder Singh to discuss the pollution problem. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been burning crop stubble ahead of the harvest season. This has contributed significantly to the rise in air pollutants in neighbouring Delhi.
