The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Friday said that the Joint Secretary could not attend the meeting over worsening air quality today as she had to appear for an 'important matter' in the Supreme Court.
Even as the SC pulled up agencies over worsening air quality in the national capital, officers from the agencies responsible for tackling air pollution skipped an important meeting called by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Urban Development here.
The meeting was later called off.
Ministry in an official response released a statement asserting, "The ministry was represented by Deputy Secretary and also from Central Pollution Control Board. The Joint Secretary could not attend as she was to appear for an important matter in the Supreme Court."
"It was a Parliament's Standing Committee on Urban Development meeting which was scheduled for today. Representation of the ministry was sought. Also, detailed notes were submitted to the ministry of Urban Development prior as was asked," the statement further read.
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According to sources, prominent among those who were missing from the meeting were Vice Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Commissioners of three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD) and most importantly Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry.
BJP MP from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir was also absent. Out of 29 MPs, only four of them were present in the meeting today. Chairman Jagdambika Pal, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, National Conference (NC) MP Hasnain Masoodi and BJP MP CR Patil were present to attend today's meeting.
Sources said the chairman of the committee and other members who attended the meeting have taken a serious note of their absence and have decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about them.
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