In an attempt to tackle pollution in the natinal Capital, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan governments to consider banning 10-year-old diesel vehicles.
The green court has also directed the setting-up of centralised and State level monitoring committees to prepare action plans to combat pollution. A Bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said every State committee, at its first meeting, should notify one district where land use of agriculture is high and make it a model district for implementing orders to stop stubble burning.
“When air pollution reaches alarming or severe levels, immediate steps are required to be taken as environmental emergency. According to experts, when PM 10 and PM 2.5 are above 431 and 251 micrograms per cubic metre respectively then it is a situation of severe emergency,” the Bench said.
In such a case, the tribunal said, helicopters should be used to sprinkle water in Delhi-NCR, especially in areas where pollution levels are in excess of the prescribed limits.
Earlier the court had come down heavily on States for not acting against farmers burning farm residues. The NGT had asked neighbouring States, particularly Punjab, to consider withdrawal of incentives - including free power - to farmers burning crops waste.
The court explained that in case of such an emergency, States should immediately provide Happy Seeders or other such machines to farmers to help them remove agriculture residue.
