NGT questions Centre over delay in guidelines to improve air quality

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has questioned the Centre’s delay in issuing guidelines for combating air pollution with the Union Environment Ministry asked to provide details regarding implementation of the same.

The southern bench of the NGT was hearing three bunched cases, including suo motu cases, about high level air pollution in several cities.

On March 3, 2024, the tribunal had directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to collate state action plans and formulate guidelines to implement measures to improve air quality.

The CPCB had recently submitted that a draft was submitted “as early as February 2025” and the matter was pending for “formal approval by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)” as the clean air programme was a national policy.

Pollution has soared in many parts of the country over the last two months. Last week, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air released a study showing that a whopping 1,787 cities in India were plagued by pollution levels higher than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

However, the government’s programme targets just 130 cities.

Earlier this month, the CPCB said the ministry had approved the draft. The tribunal directed the ministry to file a report providing details of the dates on which the draft guidelines were submitted and when they were approved.

“If the MoEF&CC has already approved the guidelines, it shall be clarified whether the same have been circulated by the CPCB to all the state pollution control boards...,” the tribunal said, posting the matter to next month.