The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a panel to monitor the implementation of the recommendations for checking air pollution in and around the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in a time-bound manner.
While entrusting the responsibility of adopting the measures required to reduce air pollution inside the campus to the medical institute's director, the tribunal has also constituted a separate panel to study identical issues at several other government hospitals in the national capital and issue appropriate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The NGT was hearing a petition claiming failure of the authorities concerned to control air pollution in and around premier healthcare institutions, including AIIMS Delhi, to the detriment of the health of patients, their attendants, doctors and staff. The NGT had in March formed a seven-member joint committee comprising the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), area divisional or District Forest Officer (DFO), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the AIIMS director or his nominee and a nominee of the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital to make recommendations to remedy the situation. It said the committee has to file an action taken report within four months.
A bench of Chairperson Justice A K Goel accepted the report of the joint committee filed on July 1, and said the measures suggested had to be implemented in a time-bound manner.
The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said, “We also agree that a hospital complex being an environmentally sensitive area, an environmental management plan is required not only covering the campus but also the surrounding periphery. Prohibited and regulated activities need to be identified and mentioned in such a plan...” Regarding the measures to be adopted outside the AIIMS campus, including control of traffic congestion, removing encroachments, congestion at gates, speeding of vehicles, improving road conditions, control of dust and other sources of pollution, the bench constituted an eight-member joint committee.
The committee comprising representatives of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Police, city traffic police, AIIMS, CPCB, and DPCC has to prepare an action plan in light of the recommendations of the joint committee and to monitor its execution in a time bound manner, the bench said.
"Ambient air quality in and around the campus be monitored and as and when it exceeds the laid down parameters within 500 meters of the boundaries of AIIMS, regulatory measures be taken in the light of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).