NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday sought responses of the Centre, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and civic agencies on rising levels of air pollution in the city. The court has taken suo motu cognizance of the issue and is treating it as public interest litigation (PIL).
A bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva also issued notice to the Centre and listed the matter for hearing on Feb 11. The court took up the issue suo motu after it came across news reports that Delhi's air was one of the most polluted in the world. The court took a serious view that over 50 per cent of children in Delhi suffered from respiratory problems caused due to poor ambient air quality.
Terming such a situation as "unacceptable" the court had earlier asked DPCC to inform it if the Supreme Court was looking into the matter of air pollution. DPCC on February 6 had informed the court that one case relating to environment pollution, titled M C Mehta, is pending before the apex court, while another petition on air pollution in Delhi and surrounding states is before the National Green Tribunal.
DPCC had also informed the court that several comprehensive orders have been issued by NGT. "We have nothing to do with NGT. Can't leave it to them," the bench had remarked.
