NGT says government is not bothered
The National Green Tribunal on Thursday said that the “governments elected by the people have the least concern for health of its citizens”. The National Green Tribunal said this as it passed a slew of directions, including setting up of a centralised and state level monitoring committees to prepare action plans to combat pollution in a bid to tackle environment emergencies.
Asking Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to consider banning 10-year-old diesel vehicles from plying on the roads, the green panel said, “The time has come when all concerned authorities must show concern to improve the ambient air quality in their states.”
The NGT directed that every state committee should, in their first meeting, notify one district where land use of agriculture is high and make it a model district for implementing orders to stop stubble burning.
“The basic fundamental question which arises for consideration is whether state governments and especially the Delhi government can provide scientific justification as to why the people of the national capital should be exposed to such severe pollution. The governments which have been elected by people have least concern for the health of their citizens,” a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
Terming as “severe” levels of pollution when PM 10 and PM 2.5 are above 431 and 251 micrograms per cubic metre respectively in the ambient air, it said when air pollution takes such alarming proportions, immediate steps are needed to be taken as environmental emergency.
In such situations, helicopters should be used to sprinkle water in the Delhi-NCR region, especially in those areas where pollution levels are in excess of the prescribed standard limits, the bench said.