Take steps to improve air quality or pay Rs5 lakh/month fine: NGT

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan,December 23

In a bid to ensure time-bound improvement of air quality of seven industrial towns, which fall on the list of 102 non-attainment cites of India, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to ensure the time-bound compliance of its directions or face monetary penalties. The air quality of these cities is not as per the national ambient air quality (NAAQ) norms.

The orders, pronounced recently, directed the SPCB to ensure real-time monitoring of its ambient air quality stations and connect it to the server of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) where all notified 12 parameters should be monitored.

The CPCB is also supposed to set up its own stations at critical locations and any failure to do so will invite Rs 5 lakh monthly penalty from January 2021. The NGT has directed the state board to set up such stations within one year and also furnish quarterly reports to the CPCB while any failure to do so will also be reflected in the annual confidential reports of the officials of the state board.

Seven towns of the state — Baddi, Damtal, Kala Amb, Nalagarh, Paonta Sahib, Parwanoo and Sundernagar — fall on the national list of 102 non-attainment cities where the level of ambient particulate matter (APM) examined by the CPCB from 2011 to 2015 has been found to be below the laid down norms on a continuous basis.

Himachal has the fourth highest number of such towns where little improvement has been brought about in its air quality.

The CPCB had revised the NAAQ norms in November 2009 and 12 parameters were required to be monitored which included sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM) 10 and PM 2.5, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, benzo pyrene, arsenic and nickel. The SPCB, however, monitors only sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter as per the website of the board which spoke volumes about its concern for improving the air quality. Little has been done to add more parameters on the board’s radar in the last 10 years which raises doubts about the board’s concern to improve the air quality in these industrial areas.

While the Town and Country Planning Department has been directed to review the master plans of these towns and devise a mechanism for shifting industrial units from the residential areas, the industrial clusters in Himachal have a mixed land use where both industries and residences co-exist, making it difficult to implement this direction. Other measures like developing public grievance redressal portal within two months and ensuring time-bound compliance of approved action plans for improving air quality in these towns has also been stressed.

The state board is also supposed to submit a comprehensive report to the NGT for controlling noise pollution in these industrial clusters failing which Rs 2 lakh penalty will be imposed on the head of the department.