NHRC notice to Centre, states over pollution faced by traffic

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the union home secretary and chief secretaries of all states and union territories over health hazard faced by traffic police personnel due to high air pollution.
"The NHRC has taken cognisance of a complaint raising the issue of right to health of traffic police personnel across the country," the commission said in a statement today.
"Allegedly, the high air pollution is causing reduced life expectancy among them as the vehicular pollution affects their respiratory and reproductive system," it said.
The rights panel has issued the notices to the union home secretary and chief secretaries of all states and union territories and sought their detailed responses "within eight weeks, positively", the statement said.

"Most of the state governments are not providing any extra allowances or health facilities to the traffic police personnel," it said.
"In case, the response is not received within the stipulated time, the commission shall be constrained to invoke coercive process u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993," the NHRC said.