SC bans petroleum coke, furnace oil to clean up toxic air in Delhi-NCR

Annual demand for the fuel, which is more energy efficient than coal, has nearly doubled over the past four years to more than 27 million tonnes

The Supreme Court on Tuesday banned the use of petroleum coke, a dirtier alternative to coal, in and around New Delhi in a bid to clean the air in one of the world’s most polluted cities.

The court, which recently banned the sale of firecrackers in the New Delhi area, also ordered a ban on the sale and use of furnace oil - another dirty refinery by-product - in and around the capital and ordered implementation of strict emission norms by the end of December.

“It is a big win for clean air,” Sunita Narain, an environmental activist and a