NGT Serves Notice to Delhi Police Commissioner, Special Commissioner for Traffic Over NCR Pollution

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Special Commissioner for Traffic Management, directing them to submit affidavits detailing measures taken to address air pollution in Delhi and its surrounding areas. A bench led by Justice Prakash Shrivastava (retd) was hearing a suo moto case initiated last year regarding the worsening air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR), according to IANS.

The tribunal, which has heard the case on multiple occasions, stressed the need for proactive measures to prevent air quality decline, particularly with the onset of winter. On October 23, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 364, categorizing it as ‘very poor,’ indicating a failure by authorities to control pollution.

The NGT highlighted that vehicular emissions are a significant contributor to pollution. The responsibility of managing traffic, unauthorized parking, and banning old, non-compliant vehicles falls on the Police Department. It instructed the Delhi Police Commissioner and the Special Commissioner for Traffic Management to submit affidavits detailing ground-level measures taken to reduce pollution from traffic and parking.

Additionally, the NGT ordered the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to promote the use of the Green App and MCD311 App, allowing the public to report violations. It also directed the deployment and monitoring of field teams to ensure compliance.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court recently criticized the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana for failing to implement directives from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to curb stubble burning. It noted the lack of prosecutions and minimal fines imposed on violators.

The Supreme Court emphasized that the CAQM, established in 2020 to manage air quality in NCR, has not met its expectations. It called for more active measures to reduce pollution, noting that current efforts must translate into tangible results.

Every year, Delhi and the NCR face severe pollution from October to December, primarily due to crop residue burning, as per IANS.