Can’t close our eyes to deteriorating air quality: Delhi HC

“For the last few weeks, we have been oscillating between ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ categories of air quality,” the Bench said.

“Rampant construction has come up. Obviously, it has not come up overnight,” a Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad remarked. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The Delhi High Court on Monday said it cannot close its eyes to the deteriorating air quality in the Capital, which oscillates between the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories.

“At the end of the day, we all live in Delhi. Can we close our eyes when we see so much construction, especially in forest areas, in violation of rules... Rampant construction has come up. Obviously, it has not come up overnight,” a Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad remarked.

“People responsible for this definitely know about it. If no land is left in Delhi, where will you do the plantation?” said the Bench, which is hearing a batch of petitions on the issue of poor air quality in the capital.

The Bench asked senior advocate Kailash Vasdev, who has been assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the case, to file within four weeks a report on the issue along with suggestions to deal with deforestation and measures for tree plantation in the city.

“For the last few weeks, we have been oscillating between ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ categories of air quality… we can’t close our eyes to the fact,” the Bench said.

The High Court’s observation came after the counsel representing the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas said that the Commission has come up with a graded plan to deal with pollution.