Pulling up the Centre for its failure to take measures to curb air polluting in the Capital, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the Union Road Transport Ministry to submit its views on factors responsible for pollution, apart from motor vehicles, as contended by it recently in its affidavit.
Hearing the arguments on its April 7 order imposing a ban on the plying of over 10-year-old diesel vehicles on Delhi roads, the Green Bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, expressed anguish over the attitude of both the Union and State governments. The Bench said neither of them was willing to take responsibility for the growing air pollution.
The NGT had stayed its ban order and later extended the stay till Monday after the Union government expressed its inability to implement the order at a short notice.
The Centre had sought a stay on the ban order on the ground, inter alia, that an IIT-Delhi study had found that vehicles over 10-year-old were responsible for a “negligible amount” of air pollution.
Taking note of the Union Road Transport Ministry’s affidavit, which effectively stated that vehicles were not the major contributors to poor air quality, the Bench asked the Ministry to come back on Tuesday with substantive arguments on what factors, apart from transport, could be causing severe air pollution in the Capital.
The Bench directed the Ministry to state the source of pollution in Delhi, while noting that its affidavit had stated that only 18.5 per cent pollution was caused by vehicular emissions. It also asked all civic bodies of Delhi, Union Environment and Forest Ministry and other respondents to file comprehensive replies on steps taken to curb pollution and posted the case for Tuesday.
The counsel representing petitioner Vardhaman Kaushik said all agencies were in a denial mode and unwilling to take action to control the sources of air pollution.
