The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed reservations about the proactive engagement of the Central and Delhi governments in addressing the city’s severe air pollution, despite recent political changes aimed at reducing inter-governmental conflicts.
During the proceedings of the ongoing M C Mehta environmental case, Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted the ongoing challenges in environmental governance despite a less confrontational political climate. The bench noted, “That’s the practical aspect of it. They may not be fighting, but that does not mean they will be proactive.”
Senior Advocate Aparajita Singh, serving as amicus curiae, shared her relief at the reduced political friction following the BJP’s anticipation to form the government. However, she pointed out that significant time had previously been lost to bureaucratic stand-offs, leaving core environmental issues unaddressed.
In response to the court’s concern, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati remained optimistic about the absence of future confrontations and promised to deliver an Air Quality Index (AQI) chart by the next hearing on February 17. Furthermore, the bench urged Bhati to explore how the recommendations of the Commission for Air Quality Management, established under the Environmental Protection Act, could be extended beyond Delhi to other cities facing similar pollution crises.
