New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) The Commission for Air Quality Management in the national capital region and adjoining areas has told the Supreme Court that it has constituted a Special Enforcement Task Force to monitor and supervise the implementation of the statutory directions issued by it to control air pollution.
In a compliance report filed before the top court, the air quality panel said to assist the task force (SETF), 40 flying squads/inspections teams assisted by the Central Pollution Control Board have been deployed.
These teams will carry out incognito checks regularly to identify serious violations of the statutory directions of the commission, it said.
“Towards effective enforcement of the directives and policy guidelines of the Commission, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 11(5) of the CAQM Act, 2021 and in exercise of the enabling provisions made thereunder, the Commission has constituted a Special Enforcement Task Force (ETF) to monitor and supervise the implementation of the Statutory directions,” the Commission told a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih.
CAQM informed the apex court that the ETF meets frequently to review and take stock of the ground situation and to closely monitor the field-level implementation and compliance of the various directions and orders issued by the Commission.
“Non-conformities/non-compliances in respect of various directions identified by the flying squads are presented before the ETF for deliberations and deciding action against such serious violators,” it added.
The panel told the bench that flying squads have conducted inspections at about 18,976 sites/units since inception.
The report said the entire Indo-Gangetic plain and particularly the densely populated national capital region (NCR) areas experience relatively adverse air quality around the year, owing to unfavourable climatic/meteorological conditions, besides much higher levels of anthropogenic activities.
It revealed that the commission has so far issued 1,099 closure directions in respect of grossly violating units, across various sectors and geographical jurisdictions in the NCR.
On the issue of stubble burning, the commission said it statutory directions were thereafter issued to the Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh governments to prepare detailed and monitorable state-specific action plans.
The commission said since 2018-19, funds to the tune of Rs 1681.85 crore and Rs 1081.71 crore have been so far released by the Centre to the Punjab and Haryana governments, under the crop residue management scheme to facilitate procurement of such crop residue management machinery on a year-to-year basis.
“Towards a systematic planning and to take preparatory actions in advance, the Commission started following up with Punjab and Haryana, well before the paddy sowing season 2024, as early as in February 2024, to sensitise the machinery for prevention and control of the incidents of stubble burning and deliberating upon further preventive and mitigative actions that could be taken to control stubble burning,” it said. PTI PKS RHL
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