Supreme Court satisfied over air pollution measures taken by Centre, panel

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 16

The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the measures taken by the Centre and the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas to curb air pollution.

A Bench led by CJI NV Ramana asked the Commission to invite suggestions from the public and experts on further steps.

It posted the matter for the first week of February next year after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, “We have a committee for long-term solution with NEERI experts on board to find a solution so that knee-jerk reaction for every year is not needed.”

Earlier, Mehta informed the court that the Commission had lifted the ban on medical, paddy, dairy, paper and textile industries in view of improvement in air quality. However, the ban on construction activities will continue and schools will continue to function in virtual mode for the time being, the Commission informed the court.

Mehta said, “All hospital constructions are permitted and for the rest of the construction activity interior etc can continue but not actual constructionhellip;There is continuous inspection by the 40 flying squads.”

He said milk and dairy processing units in NCR had been permitted to resume 24×7 operations by the Commission. Similarly, medicines, drugs and life-saving equipment industries can resume full-time operations while paper and pulp processing industries, paddy, rice industries and textile, garment industries can operate five days a week.

The industries closed due for failure to switch over to PNG can now operate eight hours a day, the Commission had told the court, adding resumption of the use of diesel generator sets has been allowed in 44 residential and commercial spaces.

During the hearing the CJI pointed out that the air quality was poor on Thursday.

Power plants have been allowed to operate keeping in view the demand for power. This was after the Ministry of Power said that the existing plants cannot remain shut anymore and even the six plants located within the 300 km radius of Delhi cannot remain shut beyond December 15.

On behalf of petitioner Aditya Dubey, senior counsel Vikas Singh submitted that there should be a scientific study of the issue. Noting that shutting down of thermal power plants results in using diesel generator sets, Singh suggested that power plants within 300 km of Delhi should be relocated as a permanent solution to the problem.

The top court had earlier passed a series of orders resulting in closure of industries and ban on entry of trucks into the national capital, except those carrying essential goods.