The Supreme Court today strongly criticised the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for its inaction on the key issues raised by the Court relating to hazardous air quality in the national capital region. It noted that the statutory body showed an “unserious” approach towards deteriorating air quality in Delhi NCR.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant observed in its order that there been an absolute failure on the part of the CAQM in identifying the reasons for worsening air quality index (AQI). The bench also noted that the Commission failed to propose any concrete plan or long-term action plan to curtail the pollution.
“CAQM has submitted only a status note, which is silent on most of the issues raised by the Court as well as by the learned Amicus Curiae,” the Court noted.
In the wake of alarming air pollution levels, the apex court has issued directions to the expert body to urgently convene a coordinated meeting of domain experts within two weeks. SC has ordered CAQM to file a report with a list of causes and long-term remedial measures that can lower the AQI in Delhi.
As per the SC observations, CAQM is primarily obligated to work with domain experts and have a unanimous understanding of the causes of rising AQI in the national capital. It stated that such an exercise would help in building proportionate solutions. The process essentially involves understanding the real causes and collecting relevant information from related institutions, such as the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and TERI.
Considering a people-centric approach, the bench also suggested that the reasons once identified should be placed in the public domain so that citizens too can participate, offer solutions, and stay aware of the causes of air pollution. The court stressed that “some of the causes are inevitably attributable to citizens of the NCR, and public awareness programmes could help curb such factors.”