The Supreme Court on Wednesday advised the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to explore alternative solutions to completely halting construction activities in Delhi-NCR during the winter months. The Court said that a complete construction ban would affect daily wage workers and their livelihoods. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, while hearing a matter on air quality, acknowledged the need to tackle pollution but pointed out the socio-economic consequences of a blanket ban on construction.
The Court directed the CAQM to collaborate with all concerned state governments and come up with alternative measures to reduce air pollution, rather than halting construction activities entirely.
Key Directions from the Court:
Exploring alternatives to construction ban: The Court has directed the CAQM to work with the state governments and come up with alternate solutions to curb pollution caused by construction activities. This should be done within the next three weeks.
Filling vacancies in pollution control boards: The Court also ordered that the Pollution Control Boards of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan fill all their vacancies within the next three months to ensure effective environmental monitoring and control.
Staffing at CAQM: The Supreme Court has granted CAQM one month to fill permanent positions for the Member and Member Secretary posts, ensuring that the Commission operates with full capacity.
The CAQM is a statutory body established by the Centre to oversee and improve air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its neighboring areas, which extend into parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The court expressed strong disapproval of states for the prolonged vacancies within their pollution control boards. It highlighted that insufficient staffing during peak pollution periods exacerbates the environmental crisis.
