New body, old problems

Pollution in NCR needs an expansive response

By taking the Ordinance route to set up an umbrella commission to deal with pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its adjoining states, the Centre has displayed a sense of urgency in tackling this menace. The apex body, called the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR and Adjoining Areas, has been empowered to monitor and check sources of pollution in five northern states — Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. It subsumes the existing anti-pollution entities like the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) and the three committees-cum-task forces functioning independently under the Central