Govt to initiate Criminal Prosecutions against Polluters as well as name and shame them
October 28, 2018:
The offenders would also be named & shamed on official websites.
In an attempt to step up pressure on polluters as Delhi faces its annual winter bad air days, the Centre said on Saturday that criminal prosecution would be launched against violators failing to take action despite warnings.
Noting poor compliance of its directives to check air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Centre said the names of violators — both private & government entities — will also be put in the public domain.
The move acknowledges the need for urgent action within the Delhi-NCR region apart from efforts to curb outside sources of pollution, like stubble burning.
‘Blanket ban’ on sale of crackers in Ggn
The Gurgaon administration has rejected all applications for temporary licences for selling firecrackers this year, enforcing the SC order that allows sale of only “green crackers” in NCR. But with no green crackers in the Gurgaon market now & a bar on permanent licence holders from selling old stocks that don’t comply with emission norms, there’s an effective blanket ban on sale of crackers. P 4
Minister promises more ‘passionate’ action
In Delhi & its neighbouring areas, agencies involved in infrastructure building are largely government outfits like PWD, Delhi Metro, NHAI, civic bodies & public construction companies. It is large projects that are seen to be big contributors to dust, a major component of the capital’s pollution.
Explaining the norms, Vardhan said an agency will be given two days to act on a complaint. “A warning will be issued or flagged on the third day on the ministry’s Sameer app. If it fails to act in 48 hours after the warning, the CPCB will initiate criminal prosecution,” he said.
All details, including compliance & prosecution, will be uploaded on the CPCB website and the “Sameer” app (government’s app on the air quality index) so that anyone can access the details. “Show a mirror to the (non-compliant) agencies,” said Vardhan.
Though the existing law empowers CPCB & state pollution control boards to initiate such action, this has rarely been used & subsequently there have been hardly any consequences on the ground.
The decisions were taken in a meeting on feedback received from 41 CPCB teams deputed to check air pollution in Delhi & four neighbouring cities in NCR. The minister said it was quite disappointing to know that all five cities — Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad & Ghaziabad — scored quite poorly on the compliance index (ratio of action taken & reported complaints).
The ministry also called a meeting of environment ministers & senior officials of Delhi & NCR states — Punjab, Haryana, UP & Rajasthan — on November 1 to sensitise them about the decisions.
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