Air Pollution: NGT issues notice to Chief Secretaries of various states including Delhi, says immediate action required

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a notice on Friday to the Chief Secretaries of the States where the Air Quality Index (AQI) has dipped to severe, very poor and poor categories. They are directed to take immediate remedial action and submit the action taken report before the Tribunal, including Delhi.
While seeking a response, the Tribunal observed that immediate action was required. Serious conditions are reflected in various cities in the air quality bulletins. Hence, immediate action is required for the prevention and control of air pollution in these cities so as to ensure better air quality for the residents.
The bench headed by NGT’s Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, also comprising Sudhir Agarwal and A Senthil Vel, on Friday took suo moto exercise of powers on the basis of the Air Quality Bulletins of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) posted on their website in respect of the Air Quality Index (AQI) for different cities from October 20, 2023, to November 1, 2023.
NGT noted that the said reports show that there are various cities where the air quality index has dipped to the “very poor” or even “severe” stage. For example, a perusal of the air quality index of November 1, 2023, discloses that in Hanumangarh, Fatehabad, and Hisar, the air quality has dipped to the
“severe” level, in respect of Bahadurgarh, Biwani, Charkhi Dadri, Faridabad, Greater Noida, Kaithal, Noida, Rohtak and Sri Ganganagar apart from Delhi, the air quality was at “very poor” level and in respect of Amritsar, Ankleshwar, Baddi, Balllabgarh, Bathinda, Bharatpur, Bhiwadi, Bhopal, Bikaner, Bulandshahr, Bundi, Byrnihat, Churu, Dausa, Dhandbad, Dharuhera, Ghaziabad, Gurugram Gwalior, Jhansi, Jhunjhunu, Karnal, Khurja, Kota, Kurukshetra, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Manandi Gobindgarh, Manesar, Narnaul, Navi Mumbai, Panipat, Patna, Purnia, Rajgir, Sirsa, Sonipat, Thane, Tonk and Vapi , the air quality has dipped to “poor” level.
Noting the seriousness of the issue, NGT has implead the Chief Secretaries of the concerned States, Chairman, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Member Secretary, CPCB, and National Task Force through its head secretary, MoEF&CC, as parties in the case and sought their responses and directed them to take remedial action and submit an action taken report reflecting compliance of directions issued by the Tribunal from time to time in this regard