NGT forms National Task Force to fight against air pollution

 Noting that about 1.5 million people in India die annually due to air pollution, the National Green Tribunal has formed an eight-member National Task Force (NTF) to monitor curative steps to improve the status of air quality. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson, Justice A K Goel said that complete and coordinated efforts at all levels in the government is an urgent need of the hour. Accountability in terms of adverse entries in the Annual Confidential Reports and recovery of damages for non-compliance are crucial for fixing accountability, the tribunal said. “This requires authorities at a higher level to function as trustees for discharge of constitutional and legal obligation to the citizens. There is no other magic stick to protect people against an acknowledged sorry state of affairs. India has the world’s highest death rate from chronic respiratory diseases,” the bench said.

The NTF is to be headed and coordinated by the Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forests with nominees (not below the rank of Joint Secretaries) of Ministries from Housing and Urban Development, Road Transport, Petroleum, Power, Agriculture, Health and Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board. NTF may also monitor enforcement of laid down air quality standards beyond Nonattainment Cities’ in other identified air polluted areas where air quality is poor and above. “The NTF may hold its first meeting within one month and thereafter evolve mechanisms for monitoring by quarterly meetings with Chief Secretaries of concerned States. The NTF may coordinate and work in sequence with the Committees already constituted under NCAP at National and State levels,” the bench said. The bench also said that consistent with Digital India initiatives, MOEF or CPCB may consider setting up and periodically updating National Environment Data Grid (NEDG) linked to the State Environment Data Grids (SEDGs) and District Environment Data Grids (DEDGs) and further linked to available portals like online air quality, SAMEER (Society for Applied Microwave Electronics Engineering & Research) and other monitoring stations to facilitate analysis, research and planning on the subject. “The Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs may continue to monitor progress in execution of action plans at State level with the assistance of monitoring cells in their offices and the Air Quality Monitoring Committee. The State level monitoring must include action at the ground as per directions to be implemented by the District court or other concerned departments,” the bench said. The green panel said that the matter has been monitored by the committee for about two and a half years and primarily the tribunal is an adjudicatory body and beyond giving directions necessary for protection of environment under section 15 of the NGT Act, implementation to be done by administrative authorities. “Under public trust doctrine, the State authorities have to take the duty to make effective measures to control pollution. Tribunal monitoring cannot be for indefinite periods. Road map has taken shape to an extent. “The ownership of monitoring must be now taken over by rightful and administrative authorities for enforcement of rule of law for which a national level task force needs to be constituted,” the bench said.