HC hears plea on emergency-like pollution situation in Delhi

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on on Friday gave an urgent hearing to plea on the "emergency-like air pollution situation" in the national capital and areas surrounding it and sought the response of the Delhi government and state pollution control committee on the measures taken to overcome it.
A vacation bench comprising justices Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal and C Hari Shankar, which heard the matter late in the evening, issued notices to the Delhi government and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) seeking their responses by July 25, the next date of hearing.

The bench observed that since the petitioner has not filed any application seeking interim relief, it cannot "do anything except issuing a notice".

The plea, which has been filed in wake of severe air pollution that has engulfed the national capital for the last couple of days, has also sought implementation of the odd-even scheme of using the vehicles.

The petition filed by two students Mihir Garg and Rashi Jain has sought several directions to the authorities, including using vacuum cleaners to suck dust from the roads.

The plea has also sought directions to stop the functioning of heavy industries, brick kilns, Bardarpur Thermal power plant and all the coal-based tandoors in the city.

The petition also asked the high court to issue directions to the AAP government and the DPCC to ban the transportation of construction materials in the city until the situation becomes normal.

"Direct the respondents (Delhi government and DPCC) to use water cannon so as to tackle the air pollution... direct the respondents to adopt odd/even policy without any exemptions till the situation comes under control," the petition has said.