New Delhi: NGT Directs 53 Cities to Submit Detailed Reports on Air Quality Measures

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has released a list of directives to 53 cities experiencing declining air quality, asking them to submit detailed reports on the impact of various sources of pollution and measures taken to reduce them. The court’s decision came in the wake of growing air quality problems across India as measured by the Air Quality Index (AQI) maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board. After scrutinizing the reports as submitted by several states, the NGT on December 5 found that funds allocated under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) and the 15th Finance Commission were not fully utilised. Consequently, the countries concerned were required to submit follow-up reports.

Bench headed by NGT Chairman Justice Prakash Srivastava, comprising Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) with several states such as Delhi, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat,Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. As per the primary key finding of the bench it emphasized that road dust has emerged as a major cause of air pollution, thus calling for more efforts to curb its impact. It emphasized the importance of transparency, requiring all the 53 cities to disclose the contribution of each pollution source to the identified pollutants, and justify the implementation and reduction of strategies so slowly.

NGT emphasized on the need for better utilization of allocated funds, especially in unreached cities where Rs 1644.4025 crore has been earmarked for air quality. It directed the MoEF&CC to ensure that these funds are utilized effectively for setting up assets aimed at effectively managing air pollution. In an order issued on the 19 February, the court directed municipalities to submit a comprehensive report at least a week before the next hearing scheduled for May 3. The directive confirms NGT’s commitment to prosecution that takes address the urgency of air quality degradation and emphasize the need for priority action protects public health and the environment.

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