The Supreme Court on Thursday once again castigated Delhi and Central Governments for their failure to take effective measure to control air pollution in the city.
Observing that nothing is happening on ground to control the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and the Delhi Government to come out with suggestions to control pollution within 24 hours.
“You cannot fire bullets from our shoulders,” said the apex court saying it would pass orders if Governments are not coming with suggestions.
Stating that “We cannot...infuse creativity in your bureaucracy,” the apex court warned it will have to do something extraordinary if the authorities failed to control pollution.
A special bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana said it expected serious action on the ground to bring down pollution levels.
“We think that nothing is happening as the pollution level is increasing. We think that we are wasting our time... We are giving you 24 hours. We want you to take a hard look at this and come up with a solution with seriousness,” said the bench, also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta requested the bench for one more day to respond to the concerns expressed by the court. “Mehta, we expect serious action if you can’t take, then we will take, We are giving you 24 hours,” the bench said.
The SC expressed dissatisfaction over the steps taken to control pollution and asked about the powers of the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas to enforce compliance with its directions.
“We are not able to control the pollution in spite of taking measures. You tell us how many members in this commission,” the bench asked. Mehta told the bench that there are 16 members in the commission. He then sought time to take instructions.