M C MEHTA Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) REALISING the urgency and importance of protection and improvement of the environment, this Court has given directions from time to time and impressed upon the authorities to take urgent steps to tackle the acute problem of vehicular pollution in Delhi. Assurances have been held out to the Court through various affidavits filed by the competent officers that effective steps shall be taken in a phased manner within a specified time span. In spite of the matter having engaged the attention of this Court for a long time and lengthy debates on each hearing, precious little appear to have been done by the State Administration to check and control the vehicular pollution. We are rather distressed at this apathy of the State Administration, when according to the White Paper published by the Government of India, the vehicular pollution contributes 70 Per Cent of the air pollution as compared to 20 Per Cent in 1970. In the White Paper published by the Government of India, a dead-line of 1/04/1998 had been proposed for implementation of major actions. No concrete steps have however, been taken till date in spite of the assurances held out in the affidavit dated 18/11/1996.

(2.) WE find from the report submitted by the Authority appointed vide Gazette Notification dated 29/01/1998 that none of the major actions, as proposed, has been implemented. The Authority headed by Shri Bhure Lal has also proposed certain measures for immediate improvement of air quality and has given a time frame but for the time being we are not engaging our attention to that time frame. WE are, however, of the view that to arrest the growing pollution of air certain steps need to be taken immediately WE, therefore, direct:-