Prepare plan to check pollution in Delhi: SC tells authorities

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Environment Pollution Control Authority, the Delhi government and the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan to prepare a "comprehensive plan" to check air pollution in the national capital.

The bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Prafulla C. Pant directed the Centre to implement the ban on the furnace oil and Petcock used by the industrial units in the national capital region.

The bench described the furnace oil and Petcock as one of the major contributor to deteriorating air quality in Delhi.

While the court gave four weeks to the Centre to implement the ban, it gave two weeks time to CPCB, EPCA, the Delhi government and the adjoining states to chalk out the plan for controlling pollution.

The bench allowed the CPCB to withdraw Rs 2.5 crore from the Environment Compensation Charge (ECC) for setting up real-time air quality monitoring stations in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

The bench also asked the CPCB to inspect the pollution under control centres in the national capital region.

According to CPCB monitors the air quality index (AQI) for Delhi remained 'very poor' and stood at 349 on Monday.

As per the data, the average value of PM 2.5 pollutant (particles in air with diameter less than 2.5 mm) at Dwarka and Mandir Marg was 272 and 278 while it was above 300 at Anand Vihar, R.K. Puram, Punjabi Bagh and Siri Fort.

At Anand Vihar, average value of PM 2.5 pollutant was 342, at R.K. Puram 332, at Punjabi Bagh 308 and at Siri Fort 325 micro grams per cubic metre.

--IANS

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