1 crore rupees fine to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR | Fusion - WeRIndia

An executive order was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday, a day before the Supreme Court’s hearing on the pollution issue in Delhi, to form a committee of 18 members to assess the management of air quality in the NCR and the surrounding area.

The committee is aimed to solve the air pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR and its surrounding areas through better coordination, research, identification and resolution of problems.

The ordinance further goes on to state the powers given to the committee consisting of stopping power supply or taking action against any entity or industry.

According to the ordinance, the code of criminal procedure shall apply to anyone who is found stopping the officer from performing his duty is triable in the court of national green tribunal act. Any violations could be a punishable offence with imprisonment up to 5 years or fine up to ₹1 crore or more.

A committee has been formed in this regard.  The committee consists of a chairperson appointed by the Centre members from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. This committee would replace the existing Supreme Court-monitored Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority(EPCA) and all other committees looking into matters related to pollution in the country.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Monday told the apex court that the legislation is being carefully considered. He said that a draft will be prepared next week.

The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday that a new law will be legislated to form a permanent body to deal with stubble burning in Delhi and its surrounding areas in winters.

The SC-bench headed by CJI SA Bobde supported the Centre’s decision.  It said that the decision was a necessary move since everyone in the city was choking due to air pollution. It also suspended the one-man monitoring Justice Madan B Lokur Committee comprising the former SC judge Madan B Lokur. It was constituted on October 16 to oversee the steps to tackle stubble burning in Delhi’s adjoining states – Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Image Credit: Sumita Roy Dutta / CC BY-SA 4.0

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