Over five years to 2017, thermal power plants–among India’s chief polluters–pushed nationwide levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2), a toxic gas, by 32% and fine particles called PM 2.5 by 34%.
Despite agreeing to a two-year compliance period, these plants ignored a December 7, 2017, deadline and a 2015 law promulgated by the environment ministry to clean up. Now the same ministry is arguing that so many power plants cannot go offline and is urging the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on February 1, 2018, to push the deadline to 2022.
If the power
