NGT seeks action reports on falling air quality in Delhi

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices and sought action-taken reports from various authorities, including the Delhi chief secretary, the Union environment ministry, and MCD, regarding the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. The NGT issued these notices while hearing a matter where it had initiated suo motu based on media reports concerning the decline in Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) and violations of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which enforces stricter measures to combat air pollution during the winter.

A bench of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel, observed that despite actions taken by the authorities, air pollution remains a worsening problem in Delhi, leading to various health issues for its residents. “We deem it proper to implead the following authorities in the matter — chief secretary, Delhi, member-secretary, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), member-secretary, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

Let notice be issued to the aforesaid respondents,” the tribunal stated.
The NGT directed these authorities to submit action-taken reports on controlling air pollution from various sources in Delhi in accordance with the GRAP, with the aim of maintaining the AQI at an acceptable level to safeguard public health in anticipation of the upcoming winter season. The matter is scheduled for further proceedings on November 8, 2023.