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Both Centre, states must work jointly to address air pollution: NGT

Noting that about 1.5 million people in India die annually due to air pollution, the NGT has also ordered for the constitution of a national level task force
Last Updated 15 April 2021, 13:35 IST

Observing that India is witnessing the world's highest death rate from chronic respiratory diseases, the National Green Tribunal has said that concerned authorities must take coordinated efforts to maintain air quality standard in the country.

The principal bench of the NGT headed by its chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel said that a holistic and coordinated approach required at the Centre and state government levels to address air pollution.

Noting that about 1.5 million people in India die annually due to air pollution, the NGT has also ordered for the constitution of a national level task force headed by the Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The task force, which comprises senior officers from the Central Pollution Control Board, Union Ministries of Road Transport, Petroleum, Power, Agriculture, Health and Housing and Urban Affairs, will meet regularly and monitor remedial steps to improve the status of air quality, said the tribunal.

The task force also ensures that all the states and cities, which are having high air pollution, must follow laid down guidelines.

The NGT also asked the task force to hold its first meeting within one month and thereafter evolve a mechanism for monitoring by quarterly meetings with the Chief Secretaries of concerned States.

Insisting that steps should be taken to check air pollution at all level, the NGT said that the Chief Secretaries of all states should continue to monitor progress in the execution of action plans at the state level with the assistance of monitoring cells in their offices and the Air Quality Monitoring Committee.

The state-level monitoring must include action at the ground as per directions to be implemented by the District Magistrates or other concerned departments, the bench said.

The NGT, which has been passing several orders to check air pollution, had earlier ordered for setting up an air quality monitoring system in every district. The tribunal also asked urban local bodies to sprinkle water on roads before sweeping.

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(Published 15 April 2021, 13:35 IST)

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