Centre brings ordinance to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR
   Date :30-Oct-2020

pollution in DelhiNCR_1&n
 
 
NEW DELHI ;
 
Now, making pollution to be an offence with a jail term which can go up to 5 years and a penalty up to Rs 1 crore or both
 
 
THE Centre has issued an ordinance, making pollution an offence with a jail term, which can go up to 5 years and a penalty up to Rs 1 crore or both. The ordinance, was issued on Wednesday night after the approval of the President. Earlier, this week Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, during the hearing of a PIL seeking ban on stubble burning, had informed the Supreme Court that the Centre will enact a law to combat the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, and urged the court to keep its order of a one-man panel of former apex court judge Justice Madan B Lokur in abeyance to monitor steps to contain stubble burning. According to the ordinance, a Commission for Air Quality Management will be set up for the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
 
“Any non-compliance of this Ordinance, rules made there under or any other order or direction issued by the Commission shall be an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to five years or with fine which may extend up to one crore rupees or with both”, said the ordinance. The Chairman of the Commission will be selected by a committee headed by Minister for Environment and Forest and it will also comprise Ministers for Transport and Commerce, Science and Technology as well as Cabinet Secretary, as members. The 18-member Commission will be headed by a full-time chairperson who has been a Secretary to the Government of India or Chief Secretary of a State.
 
Out of the 18 members, 10 will be bureaucrats while others are experts and activists. The Commission will look into issues of stubble burning, vehicular pollution, dust pollution and all other factors, which contribute towards the deteriorating the quality of air in Delhi-NCR. One of the important aspect of the commission is that Centre has proposed to replace the Supreme Court-appointed EPCA and all other bodies with it, which will make this Commission an exclusive authority on air quality management for Delhi-NCR, and it submit annual reports to Parliament.
 

Switch from big beautiful cars to bicycles: CJI to lawyers
 
NEW DELHI,
 
Oct 29 (IANS)
 
THE Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL seeking a ban on stubble burning in the States neighbouring Delhi, on Thursday told the advocates in the matter that they should switch from their “big and beautiful cars” to bicycles. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said: “Some experts told us informally that air pollution is not only caused due to stubble burning, but there are many other causes too. You lawyers will also have to get down from your big, beautiful cars and ride cycles.
 
Not motor cycles, bicycles.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, contended before the bench which also comprises Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian that the Centre has come out with a law against air pollution. The bench said, it will look at the ordinance, before passing any further orders in the matter. “The petitioners should also go through the ordinance,” said the Chief Justice, also telling senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is representing the petitioner, who is a minor, that the court will ask the Solicitor General to consider the steps he is suggesting.
 
In a lighter vein, the Chief Justice told Mehta, that if people involved in the petition were to fall sick, “then we will hold you responsible”. “Make sure nobody falls sick of this air pollution,” he quipped. After a brief hearing, the bench fixed further hearing on Friday next week.