Delhi air pollution: SC seeks action plan, proposal to shift industry

The Supreme Court has ordered the Delhi government to submit an action plan based on CAQM recommendations to combat air pollution. The Environment Ministry must also propose shifting coal-based industries out of Delhi-NCR with viable alternatives.

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to file a detailed action plan to operationalise the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recommendations to solve the issue of air pollution in the capital.

Court's Directives on Coal Industries and State Action

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant also directed the Ministry of Environment and Power to submit a proposal, based on the latest CAQM recommendations, for shifting all coal-based industries out of Delhi-NCR. This proposal must include the identification of such industries and viable alternative fuel sources.

The Court ordered the neighbouring States of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan to issue public notices inviting suggestions and objections from stakeholders, including coal-based industries. These notices are to be treated as issued under the Court's authority and must be fully detailed in the states' respective action-taken plans.

As an interim arrangement, Haryana, Delhi, and other concerned authorities were asked to examine the feasibility, logistics, location, and operational modalities of these industries pending a final decision.

During the hearing, the Court took note of submissions by ASG Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CAQM, regarding long-term measures to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The Court recalled that, by its earlier order, it had directed the CAQM to develop long-term plans to address the AQI crisis.

Political Row Over AQI Monitoring

The hearing comes amidst ongoing concerns over the quality of air in the national capital and neighbouring states. In February, the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioned the credibility of Delhi's pollution data and objected to the BJP government's decision to install six new AQI monitoring stations in the city's green and open areas.

AAP Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said, "The intent of the BJP government led by Rekha Gupta was not to clean Delhi's air but to artificially lower AQI readings by shifting monitoring infrastructure to greener zones, thereby creating a false impression of improvement without taking substantive anti-pollution measures." (ANI)

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