Think out of box to curb pollution, Supreme Court tells Centre

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 2

The Supreme Court on Thursday set a 24-hour deadline for the Centre to propose concrete measures to check the worsening air pollution condition in Delhi-NCR and pulled up the Delhi Government for exposing children to it by reopening schools.

Creativity lacking

You cannot fire bullets from our shoulders... We can’t infuse creativity in your bureaucracy. You’ve to come up with some steps. Bench

“We are giving you 24 hours’ time. We want you to take a hard look at this and come up with a solution with seriousness…We will take this up tomorrow morning for 30 minutes. You update us about the steps, otherwise we will pass directions,” a Bench led by Chief Justice NV Ramana told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

“In an emergency situation, you have to work in emergent ways. Suppose the temperature goes up in fever, then what can be done to control it?” the CJI said, hinting at setting up a task force if the government failed to come up with concrete measures. “Please let me respond tomorrow and let me speak with the minister. We are not averse to this and highest functionaries are equally worried,” Mehta said.

“You cannot fire bullets from our shoulders, you have to take steps. We can’t infuse creativity in your bureaucracy…You have to come up with some steps,” said the Bench, which has been very critical of the bureaucracy for its “inaction and lack of planning and imagination” to deal with the emergency air pollution.

The top court pulled up the Delhi Government for reopening schools and exposing children to high levels of air pollution. “You have implemented work from home for adults. So, parents work from home and children have to go to school. What’s this?” the CJI asked. Soon after the court hearing, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that physical classes in schools would remain suspended from Friday till further orders. On behalf of the Delhi Government, senior advocate AM Singhvi told the court that it was taking all necessary measures to check air pollution and more than 1,500 old polluting vehicles were impounded in November.

Wondering as to what the Commission for Air Quality Management was doing, it said that even the sources of the pollution had not been identified properly. The Centre had on Wednesday told the top court that all construction activities in the capital by the Central Public Works Department had been stopped following the court’s order, except the Central Vista project.

In ‘severe’ category

City AQI

Delhi 429

F’bad 428

Noida 408

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