The Supreme Court on Monday sought response of the Centre on a PIl that showed Delhi’s air contains critical levels of particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, estimated by the WHO to be more than 30 times of the permissible global standards.
Issuing notice to the Centre and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir was shocked to note that in 2002 when the Supreme Court introduced CNG among Delhi’s public transport fleet to provide citizens clean air, the level of particulate matter in the city was 186 microgram per cubic metre.
Presently, the particulate matter level had reached alarming height of 711 microgram per cubic metre, due to which the PIl filed by a Noida resident Arvind Gupta sought urgent intervention of the court.
Blaming the increased presence of diesel vehicles for the rise in air pollution level, the PIl demanded enforcement of Euro IV and Euro V norms for vehicles and penalise vehicles not implementing the same.