The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the CAQM,
CPCB and state pollution control boards to come out with measures to prevent
air pollution within three weeks, ahead of the onset of winter when pollution
levels spike.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R
Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran also pulled up states over vacancies in
their pollution control boards and asked states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Rajasthan and Punjab to fill them in three months.
The bench also passed similar directions to the
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB).
It, however, granted six months for filling up
promotional posts in state pollution control boards, CAQM and CPCB.
The CAQM is a statutory body formed by the Centre
and its main goal is to manage and improve air quality in the National Capital
Region (NCR) and its adjoining areas, which include parts of Punjab, Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The bench was hearing a suo motu plea relating to
filling up of vacancies in these authorities. It will hear the matter next on
October 8.
The court came down heavily on states for failing to
fill long-pending vacancies in their pollution control boards, observing that
inadequate manpower during peak pollution seasons aggravates the environmental
crisis.