The issue of bad climate and ‘dangerous’ AQI level in Delhi has reached the threshold of Delhi High Court. The court will hear the petition tomorrow (Wednesday, December 3) demanding immediate steps to control pollution. The petition seeks direction to the city authorities to take immediate and long-term effective steps to control and reduce the air pollution level and Air Quality Index (AQI).
In fact, this application was listed before Justice Sachin Dutta on Tuesday (December 2), who said that the nature of the application is like a public interest litigation, and hence the matter should be heard by the concerned bench. He said that it is like a PIL. The court ordered that the matter be placed before the concerned division bench tomorrow as per the orders of the Chief Justice. The PIL bench includes Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.
Petition filed in High Court
This petition has been filed by Greater Kailash-II Welfare Association through its General Secretary Sanjay Rana and Advocate Udiyan Sharma. The petition said that even though the authorities had asked for Stage III measures to be implemented when the AQI level had already reached the ‘alarming’ category, they failed to implement the prescribed measures in a timely and effective manner, thereby worsening the situation.
‘Ignored the seriousness of the health emergency’
The petition said that without taking any real or adequate ground measures till date, such belated and cosmetic action has only led to further delay, recklessly endangered the lives and health of people and completely ignored the seriousness of the ongoing public health emergency. The petition states that such a situation is not an isolated or one-time incident, but is a recurring, seasonal and now almost chronic phenomenon, resulting in a continuous attack on the lungs and health of the people of Delhi.
Demand to implement measures effectively
The petition seeks effective implementation of existing measures, including but not limited to GRAP, to control air pollution, particularly with respect to construction and demolition dust, road dust, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions and open burning of waste.
The petition also demands preparation of a comprehensive clean air action plan for Delhi, which includes sector-wise emissions inventory, specific time-bound targets for reducing air pollution and improvement in AQI, clear division of responsibilities among each department and a strong monitoring framework. Along with this, the petition has also demanded the creation of a unified nodal authority for coordination system with clearly defined legal powers to plan, implement and monitor air pollution control measures in Delhi, with provision for citizen participation and providing transparent public information about AQI.
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