No action on pollution

The Supreme Court, hearing a petition concerning the alarming level of air pollution in Delhi, has come to the conclusion that the efforts of various governments and government agencies in curbing pollution have amounted to nothing. A Supreme Court Bench on Monday noted that the Central government had ‘good’ intentions in issuing directions to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to reduce air pollution, but ‘the implementation is zero’. This opinion would be shared by the residents of Delhi and National Capital Region, who have been gasping for breath even as the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading has been regularly exceeding 350 and touching 400, denoting very poor to severe conditions—particularly dangerous for residents who are ill or old.

Two weeks ago, the apex court had directed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to hold an urgent meeting with the governments of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to discuss the terrible air quality in the Capital. The meeting was held, ideas were exchanged, directions issued to the governments and departments concerned — and, as the court observed, nothing seems to have been done on the ground. Indeed, the Solicitor General admitted that ‘we have asked them (governments) to comply since several months’. This suggests that the governments and agencies are not really giving due importance to the life-threatening levels of air pollution in Delhi, and that even the directions of the court are being ignored or not followed completely.

The Supreme Court has directed the region’s governments to file reports on steps taken by them to comply with the directions of CAQM, and also warned that in case of non-compliance, the court could appoint an independent task-force on the issue. From the observations by the highest court, it would appear that all the meetings held over the last few weeks and the directions by various governments are part of a seasonal charade, during which they wait for the stubble-burning to stop, winds to pick up and the winter to pass and AQI readings to improve on their own. The official flurry merely raises an illusion of activity, achieving practically zero, as the court noted.