The Maharashtra government, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) were questioned by the Bombay High Court (HC) on Thursday, January 9, for their failure to reduce the city's increasing air pollution.
The top court also showed its concerned whether the inhabitants would have to put up with the "haze" or if there was a way to reduce the increasing air pollution.
All authorities are aware of the issues and the causes of the city's declining Air Quality index (AQI), according to a bench made up of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Girish Kulkarni. The bench also stressed the urgency of taking urgent action.
In 2023, the HC took suo motu (on its own) notice of the state's and city's bad air quality index.
The judges said that following Diwali, the circumstances remain the same every year. The bench questioned that what is the remedy in this case? Every year after Diwali, all of this begins. What is the answer now that we have a general understanding of the issues and their causes? Or does Mumbai still experience this smog every year? On certain days, vision is really poor.
The court noted that in 2023, it had ordered that fire crackers be set off only from 8 to 10 pm on Diwali, but they were set off after 1 am. It said that the implementing agencies did not follow the court's orders at all.
The judge was shocked that the authorities had not taken more proactive measures. Nothing is done unless the court issues directives. Everyone is impacted. The bench emphasised that unless drastic measures are taken, the issue will not be brought under control.
The judges emphasised that construction activities in the city are primarily responsible for pollution, and they disapproved of the BMC's position that development and clean air must be chosen. The court does not like the stance that BMC took. According to the judges, it must be sustainable development.
Though they are "taking mitigating action," BMC attorney Milind Sathe stated that they are unable to halt growth.
The court highlighted that the authorities' actions had not assisted in defusing the situation. The bench said that whatever steps you and MPCB have taken, has not abated the situation, in response to the BMC counsel's suggestion that they had taken action and that, as a result, the situation had not become worse like it had in Delhi. The yellow specks are still there. You must take further action. When will the amount of pollutants decrease? Delhi has a locational disadvantage, but Bombay has a benefit. The two cannot be compared.
The bench was reassured by State Advocate General Birendra Saraf that the required actions will be done quickly to fill the vacancies.
The bench was told by state attorney Jyoti Chavan that 133 firms had received warning notices, while 117 industries in red categories had been subject to proceedings. In total, 985 polluting enterprises have been targeted, and bank guarantees of INR 5.85 core have been forfeited. The bench stated that it would issue a comprehensive ruling instructing the authorities to take specific actions to resolve the matter.
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