Supreme Court nod to graded response plan on air pollution

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday approved the pollution code for the Delhi-NCR region to categorise the pollutants present in the air and asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.

The code will be classified into four categories — moderate, poor, very poor and severe — and will have a graded response for the pollution. The decision comes a month after the capital saw a rise in the pollution levels with thick smog engulfing the city. Since Diwali, the air pollution levels in Delhi and NCR have gone up to alarmingly high levels. According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), the air quality in National Capital Region was “severe” on October 30 and 31 and “worst” on October 31.

A bench headed by Chief justice T.S. Thakur accepted the graded response and said there should be statutory backing to it. The Centre agreed to notify the same so that the Environment Pollution Control Authority can make appropriate suggestions whenever the air quality level deteriorates.

“Enforcement of graded response action plan shall be under the orders of Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and all other authorities should act in aid of such direction,” the bench said.

The court directed the apex pollution monitoring body to file a status report on setting up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.

According to the action plan, the Centre said a task force, comprising representatives of various agencies, will be set up. The task force will meet at least twice during December to February to review air quality status, including weather and air quality forecast. Special measures to tackle air pollution include closing of schools, ban on diesel buses and trucks in NCT of Delhi and any other measure in bringing down air pollution to desired level.

The Centre also listed other measures such as maintaining strict vigilance and no tolerance to visible emissions, stopping garbage burning and imposition of heavy fines on persons responsible for it, putting a stop on burning of wastes at landfill and burning of stubble in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, closing brick kilns, hot-mix plants and stone crushers.

Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar told the bench that the CPCB proposed to upgrade its centralised control room with modern equipment’s at an estimated cost of Rs 57 lakh on hardware, Internet and optical fibre.

The CPCB also plans to set up 12 real time air monitoring stations in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Haryana, two in Rajasthan besides 20 new stations in Delhi apart from 28 existing ones, he said.

The solicitor general also filed a compilation before the bench stating details about the system of issuing pollution under control certificates to vehicle owners and the mechanism of licensing such centres where pollution checks are carried out and certificates issued in the form of stickers.

The bench adjourned the proceedings to January 2017. The court had earlier slammed CPCB for not having an action plan ready to deal with the “emergency” smog situation and asked the Centre to come out with time-bound measures to tackle the graded level of worsening air quality.