Bombay High Court on air pollution

Mumbai:

The Bombay High Court on Thursday wondered whether there would be a solution to the city’s air pollution problem or whether residents would have to continue to witness the haze every year after Diwali.

It has also been proposed to ban bakeries from using wood, charcoal and batting for CNG and electric vehicles.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Girish Kulkarni said that while all authorities are generally aware of the problems and reasons for the decline in Mumbai’s air quality index (AQI), solutions and measures need to be found immediately.

In 2023, the bench reviewed suo moto (on its own) awareness of poor air quality in the city and state.

On Thursday, the court noted that the situation is the same every year after Diwali.

“What is the solution in these situations? It all starts every year after Diwali. We generally know the problems and the causes… so what is the solution? Or do we continue to see this fog every year all over Mumbai? such low visibility on some days,” the bench said.

The court noted that in 2023, it allowed bursting of firecrackers only for a few hours every day during the Diwali festival, but its directive was not implemented at all.

“We saw firecrackers exploding even until one o’clock in the morning, despite our orders. The executive authorities did not follow our orders at all,” the report said.

The court said it regretted that the authorities had not taken any proactive measures.

“Only when the court makes a decision, something is done. This applies to everyone. You (the authorities) definitely have to take more radical measures. When will the level of pollution decrease? If something drastic is not done, the situation will not be controlled,” the court said.

The court noted the pollution caused by the increased number of vehicles on the roads, as well as the bakeries across the city that use wood and coal to make their products.

The court said bakeries should now be banned from using wood or coal and switch to gas.

He added that people should be encouraged to use CNG or electric vehicles instead of petrol or diesel ones.

The court also noted that much of the pollution was caused by construction in the city and disapproved of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) position that a choice had to be made between development and clean air.

Senior counsel Milind Sath, appearing for the BMC, said there was nothing shocking or appalling about the civic body’s stand.

“We cannot stop the development, but we are taking measures to mitigate it,” Sathe said.

Then the court said that these actions did not settle the situation, and it was necessary to take additional measures.

The HC said it will pass a detailed order that will direct the government and other authorities to take certain measures to address the issue.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from the syndicated feed.)