Report sought on Byrnihat pollution

NEW DELHI, Feb 25: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Byrnihat and 52 other cities across the country which witnessed deterioration in air quality to submit a complete report on the contribution of each polluting source and measures taken to reduce pollution.
The tribunal was hearing the issue of air quality deterioration in different cities across India as reflected in the Air Quality Index (AQI) maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board.
On December 5, the tribunal, after considering the reports submitted by various states, said they did not fully utilise the funds received under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and the 15th Finance Commission.
It had also asked the states concerned to submit a further action-taken report.
A bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that further reports were filed by the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Delhi, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana.
“All the cities (53) should disclose the contribution by each polluting source in terms of identified pollutant as per source apportionment and progressive reduction on account of measures taken,” the tribunal said, adding that a “complete report” has to be submitted at least one week before the next date of hearing on May 3. (PTI)